The Hunter And The Prey
by TwistedRocketPower
Summary: Someone is after Tim, willing to harm and kill those he cares about most, in the process. Tim will be pushed to the brink as he's forced to play a killers game to keep his friends, family, and himself alive. Will he be strong enough to endure it?
1. Six Months In

"That all you got?" He asked with a sarcastic laugh.

"I wouldn't be talkin' that way if I were you," A dark haired, brown eyed man, who answered to the name of John, replied.

He spit out some blood onto the floor, which he couldn't see because of the blindfold, "Why? Do I scare you?" There was a tone to his voice that was almost frightening. There was no fear, and no pain… Even though he had been tied to a chair, being punched and kicked over and over for the past two hours.

John walked over closer to him, his boots making a knocking sound on the floor with every step. "You got a death wish?"

He shrugged, "Can I have a minute to think about it?"

John laughed evilly, "That's funny. You got one heck of an attitude."

"That's what six months of hell on earth can do to a person."

"If you thought that was bad, you outta know what we got planned for you now."

"Can't wait. Why don't you tell me?"

"Not my place to."

He nodded, "Oh yes, I forgot that you're just the intern, the newbie… or the probie, if you will."

John curled his hand into a fist and punched him as hard as he could.

He grunted, spit out some more blood, then laughed, "That all you know how to do? Punch and kick? You need to become more original."

"You mean like this?" John walked in behind him, wrapped his arm tightly around the man's neck, cutting off his ability to breathe.

He tried his hardest to suck in some air, but it was impossible. He was becoming unsure of whether it was dark because of the blindfold, or because he was losing consciousness.

"Get off of him!" Another man yelled as he entered the room.

John quickly released his grip, leaving the man gasping for breath.

"He was testin' me!" John exclaimed, "Practically beggin' me to do it!"

"Sometimes you are so stupid, I swear." The other voice was much more scholarly than John's. "Go into the other room."

John did as he was told and left the room.

The room was quiet. It remained that way for a couple of minutes. All that could be heard was the sound of someone walking back and forth, and… equipment?

"Sorry about him. He's a good worker, but he gets impatient sometimes and, well, we've been waiting for this moment for a while now."

"Congratulations."

The unidentified man walked up to the restrained man and slowly took the blindfold off. He smiled as his prey stared straight at him, seeing him for the first time, "It's nice to meet you face to face, Timothy McGee."

Tim spit out some more blood, right into the man's face, "Nice to spit in your face, whatever your name is."

The man remained calm. He wiped his face off with his sleeve, "That's not very nice, Timothy."

"Like I care, Jack."

"Oh, you will… And I told you before, my name is not Jack."

"And I told you before, I don't give a fu-"

"Enough!" 'Jack' moved over, revealing a TV on a small stand in front of Tim.

"We gonna have a date?" Tim asked, "I'm not really dressed for it."

Jack laughed, "You could call it a date… I know you love what you're gonna see."

"Nutter Butters?"

Jack shook his head, "Nope. Not even close." He walked up to the TV and pressed the on button. The TV was old, so it took a while for the picture to come up on the screen.

When it did, Tim automatically felt like vomiting.

Abby was lying on a bed, bound and gagged. John stood beside her, staring at her as she squirmed and cried.

Tim felt no relief from the fact that she, and John, were still fully dressed, for he knew what was to come.

Jack walked in behind Tim, leaned over till he was right next to his ear, and whispered, "You see, first I'm gonna let him rape her, then I'm gonna let him kill her, however he wants to… all while you watch. Then, Timothy, I'm gonna kill you."

* * *

**What do you think? It's kind of short, but my first chapters usually are.**

**This could quite possibly turn out to be my longest story ever. As I write out the outline I realize that it's very detailed, so I don't plan on rushing anything. **

**I plan on adding new chapters about every _other_ day. With my last story I did every day, and it got kind of difficult sometimes.  
**

**Buckle up and hold on tight, it's gonna be a bumpy ride.**


	2. The Beginning

_Six months earlier…_

"Yes! I made it!" Tony exclaimed with a grin of satisfaction on his face.

Tim rolled his eyes, "Seriously, Tony, you have your own garbage can right by your desk. Why don't you use _that_ one instead of mine?"

"Because, it's funner to throw the paper across the room, McBoring."

"Well, it's not fun for me when I am the one that has to pick up all the trash that misses the can."

Ziva hit her hands down on her desk, "Will you two please shut it! You have been yucking all day!"

"_Yacking_," They both corrected at the same time.

She glared at them then looked back at her computer and began typing.

"What are you doing?" Tony asked her, "We don't even have a case."

"It is none of your business."

Tony and Tim glanced at each other, then got up from their desks and walked over to her. She tried to quickly exit it off of the screen, but they saw what it was before it went off.

"Were you playing a computer game?" Tony asked with a laugh.

"No."

Tim nodded, "Yeah, you were… Why didn't you tell me you played?"

"I do not _"play"_… It was a word lesson-"

Tony coughed, "Game!"

She glared at him, "_Lesson_," She said again sternly, "I was just freshening up on my English skills."

"Why don't we try freshening up on our agent skills?" Gibbs said as he entered the bullpen, coffee in hand.

"We got a case, Boss?" Tony asked.

"We do. Marine Gunny found dead in his apartment."

Tony and Tim went back to their desks, and all four agents retrieved their guns and badges.

"Who found him?" Tim asked as they walked to the elevator.

"His mistress."

A sly smile spread across Tony's face, "Oh, this is gonna be a fun one."

* * *

When they returned to the bullpen that evening they were all tired and grumpy.

Ziva rubbed her neck, "That took much longer than usual."

"Gotta say, I did not expect both the wife _and_ the _second_ mistress to show up at the house," Tony replied, "I mean, what guy invites two mistresses over when the wife is just going to go shopping for the afternoon?"

Tim gently touched his arm, a nice sized bruise forming, "They were so mean, too. I never thought three women, all barely over five feet, could hit that hard."

"They are all definitely capable of murder," Ziva responded.

Gibbs looked around at his three agents, now all sitting at their desks. He looked at his watch, "Alright, go home. We'll pick this up in the morning."

They all seemed surprised, but who were they to argue. It was already seven thirty and they were exhausted.

With a quick goodbye, Tony was in the elevator, Ziva closely following behind.

Gibbs picked his keys up off of his desk, "You just gonna sit there, McGee?"

"Uh, no, I just want to write my report before I go home."

"It can wait till tomorrow."

"I know. It won't take me too long though."

GIbbs nodded, "Alright. See ya tomorrow."

"Bye, Boss."

Gibbs left and Tim sighed. He wanted to go home right then, but it was easier for him to write the report right after the fact, then waiting until the next day.

He rubbed his tired eyes then got to work.

* * *

He was halfway through his _second_ spell check when his desk phone began to ring. He looked at it for a moment, thinking it odd for someone to be calling at this time.

He picked up the phone on the fourth ring, deciding the phone wouldn't answer itself... unfortunately, "Hello, Special Agent McGee."

"I know who you are," The man on the other end of the line replied.

"Excuse me?"

"I said, I know who you are, Timothy."

Tim felt his heart begin beating slightly faster, although he wasn't sure why… something just felt wrong. "Well, could you tell me who you are?"

"Of course not. Not right now… You are going to do something for me."

Tim figured this would be a good moment to start a trace on the phone. Whoever this man was, was just too weird. He put the phone between his shoulder and ear as he started the search on his computer, "What am I going to do?"

"When I say go, you have five minutes to complete the task I give you."

"And… if I don't?" Tim kept his eyes on the search, trying to find where, whoever was calling, was calling from. Nothing was coming up.

The man laughed, "You will see soon… A live video feed should be coming through to your computer at any moment."

Now Tim was getting annoyed, "Okay, is this some sort of joke, or what? It's late, I'm tired, and I want to go home. This is not funny."

"I can assure you that this is no joke, Timothy. Just wait for the video."

Sure enough, a few seconds later, the video popped up. Tim's heart dropped. The camera was focused on Sarah. She was sitting outside of a cafe with a few of her friends. And Tim could see a red, laser dot aimed right on the back of her head.

"Wh- What is this?" Tim asked nervously, his hands beginning to sweat.

"If you do not do exactly as I say, your sister dies."

* * *

**Thanks for the reviews and all the alerts :) They are much appreciated!**

**So, how did you all like last nights episode? It was just okay to me. Not one of my favorites. I'm kind of getting tired of Tony always bringing up Ray. And Ziva, even though she's had a boyfriend for almost a year now, is constantly worried about EJ. However, the whole scene of Tim wearing those glasses, even though they were completely unnecessary, was hilarious!  
**

**Please review and let me know what you think. It helps me to know whether or not you like the story.**


	3. Phase One

"Ex- Excuse me?" Tim asked. He was nervous, confused and frustrated.

"How many times am I going to have to repeat myself? If you do not do as I say, I will kill your sister. Is that too hard to understand?"

Tim knew he needed to stall for as long as possible. _'Why is nothing coming up on the trace?'_ He wondered impatiently. "How do I know you aren't lying? That could be a laser pen, or just-"

"Would you like me to prove it to you, Timothy? I can shoot her in the head right now if you'd like. Do you want to take that chance?"

Tim's heart was pounding faster than he thought possible, "No!" He answered quickly, "No, I don't."

"Good choice. Now listen to me. You are going to call Sarah on your cell phone, while staying on the line with me. You are going to tell her that she is a failure and you never want to speak to her again. You will also bring up something from the past, giving reason as to why she is a failure. You will keep your desk phone on speaker while you talk to her."

"Why? Why are you making me do this?"

"This in particular?" He paused for a moment, "Because it's fun for me. Welcome to phase one. Go!"

Tim jumped slightly at the last word. It was so sudden… Five minutes. He had five minutes to call his sister, tell her off, and potentially save her life.

He reached into his pocket and grabbed his cell phone. He went to his contacts and scrolled down to 'Sarah'. He took a deep breath, _'What else can I do?'_ He thought as he pressed the call button.

He watched the screen as the phone rang, hoping she would pick up. She looked down at her phone that was lying on the table, said something to her friends, then answered.

"Hey Tim," She said, Tim could see her smiling, "What's up? I usually hear from you on Fridays."

"Yeah, I just… I needed to tell you something."

"Are you okay?" She asked, noticing the strange tone to his voice, "Did something happen at work? Are you hurt?"

"Just listen to me Sarah!" Tim exclaimed.

"Okay… What is it?"

"Three minutes and forty three seconds," The man chimed in from the speaker phone, causing Tim to become even more nervous… if that was possible.

Tim stared at the screen. His sister's life was in his hands.

"Is something wrong, Tim?" Sarah asked when Tim didn't reply.

"Yes, something _is_ wrong."

"What?"

Tim took a deep breath and closed his eyes, "Y- You are such a failure, Sarah."

"Excuse me?"

_'Think of something. Think of something, Tim.'_ …"Do you remember when you were six and dad was gone so I taught you how to ride a bike?"

"Uh… yeah."

"It took you five weeks to learn… God, that is a ridiculous amount of time."

Tim could see her with her elbow on the table, and her head in her hand, "Tim, I'm confused."

"Of course you are, you were a failure then and you're a failure now!"

"Two minutes," The voice whispered.

"Okay, I really, really don't understand, Tim. Is this some kind of joke?"

Tim's heart ached, "No! It's not! You always have been, and you always will be a failure! I will never be calling you again, and I never want you to call me again. Do you understand?"

"I just… Tim, I-"

"Goodbye, Sarah!" Tim hung up, his head now pounding, along with his heart.

"Good job!" The man said, "You just saved your sister's life. You truly should think of better reasons for your actions, Timothy, but that'll do for now I suppose. Now remember, don't tell a soul about this. If I'm able to watch your sister, I'm able to watch them all… And I _am_ watching them all. Have a good night, Timothy. Sweet dreams." The man hung up, but the video remained on for a few moments.

Tim watched as his sister got up from the table, crying, and ran off. The three friends she was with followed beside her, trying to comfort her.

The video went off. Tim looked at the trace he had been running. It came up with nothing.

He propped his elbows up on his desk and laid his head in his hands. It was then that he realized he was shaking. He knew he was scared, but he had no idea he was shaking.

He knew he needed to tell. He needed to call Gibbs right away, bring him and the rest of the team back to NCIS, tell them what happened, and find the son of a...

_"If I'm able to watch your sister, I'm able to watch them all. And I am watching them all."_ Those words began replaying in Tim's head.

_Who was this man?_

_Why was he targeting him?_

_Why would he threaten to kill his sister?_

_How did the man know who he was?_

_What if it wasn't just threats?_

_What if he meant everything he said?_

_Could he really be watching everyone?_

_And when he said "I'm watching them all"… who was all?_

_How many people had targets on their backs because of him?_

All these questions zoomed through Tim's mind. Everything had just happened so fast. There wasn't much time to think while he was on the phone.

_'Why didn't I call Gibbs while I was on the phone with him? I should have done that right at the beginning. I could have called on Tony's desk phone, or Gibbs desk phone… Any of their phones! Why didn't I do that then? Why didn't I do that before he told me not to tell? Before he told me he was watching them all? He couldn't have blamed me for anything then. He couldn't have gotten angry, like he would now, if I told. Now, if I tell, he may hurt them… Who are them? God, all of this is so wrong.'_

Tim stayed at his desk all night long, multiple thoughts filling his mind. He had no idea what to do, but he knew this was far from over.

* * *

**Random news: I think I'm getting a sinus infection... yay. I hear reviews are a natural healer, so heal me readers! Let's cure this thing!**

**Anyway, thanks for all the previous reviews :) I loveth them all!**

**And yes, I realize I said I'd be updating every other day, but I wrote like three chapters in one day so it was already ready :)**


	4. All Of Them

The next morning Tony and Ziva came walking into the bullpen together, both looking well rested.

"Figures McNoLife would be here before us," Tony said to Ziva, loud enough for Tim to hear.

Tim didn't respond… honestly he didn't even notice they'd arrived.

Ziva rolled her eyes and sat down at her desk, but Tony strolled over to Tim. He eyed him him curiously, "You're wearing the same thing you had on yesterday."

Tim blinked a few times then looked up at Tony, "What?"

A sly smile wiped across Tony's face, "Maybe little McGee isn't such a McNoLife after all." He looked back at Ziva, "He's wearing the same clothes he was wearing yesterday."

Ziva seemed uninterested and Tony turned back to Tim, "Did you have a date last night? Things get… crazy? Didn't have time to go home and change before coming back into work? Did-"

"Shut up!" Tim yelled suddenly, surprising both Ziva and Tony. Tim quickly stood up and made his way to the bathroom.

Tony glanced at Ziva as he went to his desk, "Must not have ended well."

* * *

Tony and Tim had been ordered, by Gibbs of course, to go to mistress number one's house, June, and talk to her husband, Paul.

The car ride was silent at the beginning, which is how Tim hoped it would remain. There was too much to think about right now. His mind was going over one hundred miles per second. _'I should tell… I can't tell… He's watching Sarah… If I tell, and he finds out I told, he could kill her before we get to him. He could kill them all. Whoever all is. Who is he? What does he want with me?.. I should tell… I can't tell.'_

"You know, McGee," Tony began, breaking the silence, "We all have bad dates from time to time. Even good guys like you. Maybe all she wanted was a one night stand."

Tim sighed, "Tony, please."

"I'm just saying… You seemed pretty upset earlier."

"Maybe that's because you're always trying to nose your way into my life," Tim half-mumbled.

"You mean you're not used to that by now? It's in my blood, McGrumpy. I nose my way into everyone's life."

"Now would be a good time to stop."

Tony turned onto the road that June and Paul's house was on, "Ha! Yeah, _that'll_ happen. You know I'll find out about this girl soon enough, you might as well tell me now."

They pulled into the driveway, "Tony, I mean it, stay out of my business!" He snapped as he opened his car door, "There's no girl! Get over it!" He stepped out of the car and slammed the door behind him as he walked up to the house. Tony seemed to be frozen in shock for a moment, then he got out of the car and followed in behind Tim.

* * *

It was a little after one and the team was breaking for lunch. Ziva and Tony were going out to eat with Abby, and Gibbs was going… who knows where. Tim was supposed to go out with Ziva, Tony, and Abby, but he didn't feel much like eating anymore. He remained at his desk, staring blankly off into space.

His cell phone began to ring, bringing him out of his trance. He picked up quickly, "Hello."

"Good afternoon, Timothy."

Tim's heart sank at the voice. It wall all too familiar. He couldn't seem to find his voice.

"I know you are there, Timothy. I can hear you breathing."

Still, Tim couldn't speak.

"Fine, I will talk and you will listen. That's how I prefer it anyway. You, my friend, need to stop acting so suspiciously. I heard you yelling at your partner today. You keep acting like that, you're only gonna draw suspicion to yourself."

"How-"

"Listen!" The man interrupted, "Tonight I want you to go home. If you don't, they'll know for sure that something is wrong… And you don't want that do you?" He didn't wait for an answer, "You should shower, get some rest, and be ready for a busy and productive day tomorrow."

"Wh- What does that mean?" Tim asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"It means exactly what I said. Don't you have a busy and productive day… everyday?"

Tim wasn't sure how to answer, "Y- yes."

"Okay then. Don't forget, I'm watching them _all_." And with that, he hung up.

Tim slowly hung up, the whole conversation playing over in his mind. He hadn't even noticed that Gibbs was in the room, "That about the case?" Gibbs asked.

Tim jumped slightly, "Uh… N-no, it's not."

The look on Tim's face concerned Gibbs, "You okay, McGee?"

Tim looked over at him and nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine. I just- I need to…" His voice trailed off as he stood up and walked off. He really had nothing to say, he just needed to get away from Gibbs… from everyone, for a while. He went into one of the conference rooms and sat for the rest of the lunch break. _"Don't forget, I'm watching them all."

* * *

_

Tim pulled into his apartment complex and parked in his usual spot. He looked all around before exiting his car, being sure to be extra cautious. Not seeing anything, he got out and went up the stairs to the second floor. Before unlocking his door he drew his gun, figuring he couldn't be too careful. He unlocked the door, stuck the key into his pocket, swung the door open quickly and stepped inside. Gun ready to fire if necessary. Clearing the kitchen and living room, he went into his bedroom, opened his closet, then checked the bathroom. It was all clear. Well… almost. When he went back into his bedroom he saw a yellow manila envelope laying on his bed. He had seen it out of the corner of his eye as he was checking the house, but now it had his full attention.

He walked over to it and picked it up. There was a note attached to the front. He removed and unfolded it, then read, 'I bet you thought I would be here, waiting for you to arrive home. But no, I am afraid, for your sake, that it will not be that easy. You see, I will kill you eventually… I just want to play with you first. Remember, no tattling. I'm always watching.'

His heart raced. It seemed to be doing that a lot these past twenty-four hours. He laid the note on the bed and opened the envelope. He reached in and retrieved a group of glossy photo papers. They were all turned over, so all he saw at first were the dates on the back. He looked at the back of each paper. All today's date.

One by one he turned the photos over. The first one was Tony, Ziva, and Abby eating lunch. Then Gibbs walking back into NCIS after getting a cup of coffee. Ducky stepping out of his car that morning with Jimmy walking up to him, smiling. Sarah walking out of the library, looking drained.

He was now sitting on his bed. He didn't remember sitting down. This was just so overwhelming. _'Why?'_ Tim wondered, _'What does this guy want with me? Why is he doing this?'_

He turned over the last photo. It shocked him even more than the others did. Walking out of their house, in Oregon, was his mom and dad.

_"Don't forget, I'm watching them all."_

* * *

**I don't remember if it has ever been mentioned where the McGee's live, but I chose Oregon... Random! **

**Anyway, thank you all for reviewing :) It really helps me when you guys review cause then I know what I'm doing right, and what I'm doing wrong. **

**So, let me know what you think!**


	5. Treasure

Exhaustion eventually took over that night and forced Tim to sleep. He slept from 2am to 5am, then got up to get a shower and get ready for work.

Once he was out of the shower, and dressed, he looked in the mirror. He looked terrible. Not just bad… terrible. There were dark circles under his eyes and he looked sick… He _felt_ sick. The gurgling in his stomach reminded him that he hadn't eaten since dinner, two days ago.

He didn't feel like eating. Not one bit. But, he also didn't feel like passing out at work and having to be taken to the hospital, so he slowly walked into his kitchen.

He fixed himself a bowl of cereal. Honey Nut Cheerios. He loved Cheerios, but today, just looking at them made him feel ill. Still, he forced himself to eat half of the bowl, then dumped out the rest.

Today was definitely going to be a long day...

* * *

Tim entered the lab where the music was blaring. He walked passed Abby, who was working at her computer, and straight to the CD player, quickly turning it off.

"Hi, Timmy," Abby said cheerfully, "How are…" Her voice trailed off and her smile faded as she looked over at Tim, "Oh my God, you look terrible."

"Thanks," He replied sarcastically.

"No, no, I just mean… you _really_ look terrible. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Abby."

She crossed her arms and stared at him, not believing a word he said, "Be honest with me, Timmy. Are you sick?"

He sighed, knowing she wouldn't let up until he came up with some reasonable answer, "I'm not sick. I just didn't sleep well last night." There. A reasonable, and honest, answer… Well, _half_ honest.

"How come?"

"Uh, loud neighbors."

Abby turned back to her computer, "Well, you're welcome to stay with me anytime, Tim. I had my coffin made into a full size, so there's plenty of room."

Tim smiled slightly. It was hard _not_ to smile around Abby, even during the worst times, "Thanks, Abbs."

After getting the information he needed on the case, which was his main reason for going down to the lab, Tim returned to his desk.

* * *

It was nearing 11am, and Tim was working on the 'Dead-Gunny-With-Three-Lovers' case, as was the whole team. His desk phone began to ring and he jumped, then hoped no one noticed.

He answered slowly, "Hello?"

"Timothy McGee."

Tim sighed and turned in his chair so his back was against the team, "Mom, why are you calling me at work?" He asked in a whispered tone.

"I want you to tell me, _right now_, what happened with you and your sister. She called me up crying last night. She asked me not to talk to you about it, but I need to hear both sides."

"Mom, I can't talk right now. I'm working."

She ignored him, "Did you honestly tell her that she was a failure, Timothy? That doesn't sound like you at all."

He sighed, "It's… It's…"

"Am I going to have to bring your father into this?" She asked, as though he were a twelve year old boy getting into trouble.

"No!" He replied quickly, _feeling_ like a twelve year old boy.

"Then answer me," She demanded.

"Mom, I am at work right now. I really have to go. I will call you back later and talk to you then."

"You better, Timothy McGee."

"Okay. Love you." He turned back around to hang up and, of course, there was Ziva and Tony. They were leaning on his desk.

He rolled his eyes and hung up the phone, "What?"

"Who was that?" Ziva asked.

"My mom."

"Something wrong?" Tony asked, genuinely concerned.

He shook his head, "No. Everything's… fine." He looked past them, to Gibbs' desk, "Where's Gibbs?"

"He went down to see Ducky," Ziva replied.

"Oh, okay." He looked back and forth at them, they still lingered over his desk, "…I guess we should all get back to work now." He added, hoping they'd go away.

They did.

* * *

Two days passed without a word from the mysterious man. Tim stayed in a constant state of worry, but he did sleep a little easier. There were some moments where he wondered if it was all over. Maybe it was just a college kid playing some _very_ elaborate prank on him… but deep down he knew that wasn't the case.

On the morning of the third day, Tim came into work early, arriving before the rest of the team.

He froze when he saw a medium sized package on his desk. There was an envelope attached to the top.

Tim slowly walked over to his desk. He put his keys and jacket down, then tore the envelope off of the package.

He opened the envelope and pulled out a piece of paper, then began to read, 'I hope you got some rest, my friend. I also hope you didn't think this was over. It's far from over. Please open your gift… although you may already be familiar with it. Have a good day Timothy.'

Then, for what seemed like the millionth time in less than a week, Tim's heart began to race.

He got out his pocketknife and sliced through the packaging tape.

He opened the sides of the box and reached in, pulling out a treasure chest. It looked so familiar to Tim, but he couldn't quite place it.

He opened the chest to reveal twenty to thirty handmade cards.

He picked up a card and began to read, then dropped it. Now he knew where this was from. Those cards had been made by him and Sarah when they were little. His parents always wanted handmade cards. They kept them and put them inside the little chest. Tim could now see that chest on the bookshelf at his parents house. That's where they always kept it.

Now he knew that, whoever was doing this to him, had not only been watching his parents… he had been in their house.

He also realized it was impossible to be both in DC and in Oregon at the same time, which is what this guy seemed to be doing… There had to be more than one man.

"Hello McGee," Ziva said with a smile as she entered the bullpen.

Tim didn't reply. He didn't even look at her. He just kept staring at the chest.

She put her stuff down and walked over to him, "What is this?"

He cleared his throat and shook his head, "It's- It's nothing." He quickly put the chest back into the package, "I- I'm gonna go home."

Ziva's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "Home? It is not even time to start work yet. We are both early."

"I know, but I don't… I don't feel well."

He grabbed his jacket, keys, and the package, then headed for the elevator.

He felt an arm on his shoulder, forcing him to stop and turn around.

"McGee, what is wrong?" Ziva asked.

"I just… I think I'm coming down with something. I don't want to be contagious and make everyone sick."

"Do you need me to do anything for you?"

"Just tell Gibbs for me. I- I have to go."

"Feel better," She called out to him as he walked off.

* * *

_'First he threatens to kill Sarah, forcing me to destroy my relationship with her. Then I find out that my friends and family are being followed. He's been in my apartment. He's been in my parents house. This is bad. Very, very bad.'_

A call on his house phone interrupted his thoughts.

He ran his fingers through his hair as he walked to his phone. God, he never realized how annoying the sound of a phone ringing could be!

"What?" He answered angrily, knowing it was him.

"Why did you go home early, Timothy?"

"You already know why!" Tim yelled, "What do you want from me? Did I arrest you at one time? Did I put a friend or family member of yours in prison? What did I do? Why are you doing this?"

"You are doing exactly what I want you to do right now. There will be plenty of time for questions later, and I promise I will answer. But first, you must do something for me."

"No! I am not doing anything for you anymore. The only thing I will be doing is going back into NCIS and telling everyone about you. Then we will find you and we will kick your sorry butt!"

The man laughed, "I don't think you want to do that, Timothy."

"Watch me!"

"Go to your computer," The man said calmly.

"Why?"

"Just do it. You should have a new e-mail waiting for you."

Tim stood still for a moment, then marched over to his computer. He pulled up his e-mail address and sure enough there was one new message.

He clicked on it. There was a link attached, nothing else written in the e-mail. He clicked on the link and up popped a video of inside his parents house.

"I can assure you, it is live," The man said.

Tim couldn't speak. He could barely think.

"I am sure you already know I am not working alone. My friend in Oregon and I are keeping a close watch on your parents. They seem to be very lovely people, Timothy. Although, I didn't have to live with them as you did, so who am I to judge. But, you see, if you don't do as I say, all I have to do is make one little phone call. Then my friend will go into your parents house, take them away, tie them up, torture them, and kill them slowly. He will be able to do all of this before you can get any police officer, detective, or special agent, to the house. Play my game, Timothy, and everyone wins."

"Wh- what am I supposed to do?" Tim asked as he watched his dad go over to the couch and turn on the TV.

"You have forty-eight hours to tell off one of your co-workers. You can choose who, but there are two rules."

"Tell one of them off? I thought you didn't want me to seem suspicious? Me telling one of my team members off would be _very_ suspicious."

"If you aren't going to do it, I will make that call now. You can watch as your parents are tortured… if you'd like."

"No!" Tim wiped the sweat from his forehead, "What are the rules?"

"One: It has to be in public. Two: It has to be the truth. I want one hundred percent honesty from you, Timothy. No silliness like with Sarah."

"There was nothing funny about that," Tim said through gritted teeth.

"No, not for you. But, you weren't being honest then. I know that no matter how much you love your team, there are things that annoy you about them. Figure that thing out, and tell them. Remember, forty-eight hours. After that, if you don't complete the task, your parents die. Time starts now." He hung up.

Tim threw his phone across the room as anger and fear filled his body.

* * *

**Spent three hours busing tables at Applebee's today from 7-10, for the private association I home school through. Had to get up at 5:30 to get there in time. BLERG! Now it's over *sighs in relief*.**

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter... Just so you know, these things Tim is having to do now... just the beginning. It gets a lot worse later on ;)**

**Anyway, please review!**


	6. Phase Two

Tim spent the rest of the day in his apartment, pacing back and forth.

"He's watching everyone," Tim said to himself, sorting out his thoughts, "I can't tell. I need to tell. I _should_ tell. But, he could kill my family before the police could get them to safety… I can't keep letting this happen. I'm a federal agent! I shouldn't even be thinking about this. I should have told right at the beginning. If this is someone else, the first thing we would say is that they should have told right to begin with. That's the smart thing to do, tell right away… but I can't risk everyone's lives."

He ran his fingers through his hair and took a deep breath.

There was a knock on his door. He jumped. The smallest things made him so nervous now.

He looked at his watch. It was 8pm. He walked to his door and looked through the peephole. It was Abby.

He unlocked his door and opened it, "Hey, Abbs. What are you doing here?"

"I heard you were sick. I came to check on you," She replied as she came inside.

He shut the door behind her, making sure he locked it… not that it would matter.

"You didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to, Timmy. Are you okay? Why are you up? You should be in bed!"

"You knocked on my door."

"Oh yeah," She took his hand in hers, "You should be _back_ in bed then." She began pulling him to his bedroom.

"Abby. Abby." He stopped walking, making her stop as well, "I'm feeling better now and I'm really not in the mood to lie down."

She eyes him suspiciously, then felt his forehead, "No fever," She determined. "I bet you've been inside all day, haven't you? Maybe some fresh air would make you feel even better."

"I… I don't think so, Abbs."

"Come on, Tim. Let's take a walk."

Ugh! It was so hard to say no to her.

"Fine. But, just a short one, okay?"

She nodded, "Of course, Timmy."

They walked to the park, which wasn't very far, then began their stroll. Abby linked arms with Tim, bringing him oh-so-close to her. He couldn't help but wonder why she was always so cuddly with him, yet she wanted nothing more than to just be his friend.

He looked around at the couples walking together, the runner just up ahead, the dad playing a late game of football with his three kids.

_'I could do it now,'_ He thought to himself, _'This is a public place… and telling her that it annoys me how she pretends to like me that way, when she really doesn't, would be honest.'_

He looked over at her and she returned the glance. She smiled at him, "Beautiful night, isn't it?"

_'No. No, I couldn't do that. Not to Abby.'_

He nodded and smiled, "Yeah. It is."

They walked back to his apartment and Abby left. Tim looked at his watch. It was 9:15. He had thirty-three hours left.

* * *

Tim was busy at his desk, typing away. Ziva glanced over at him, then to Tony. She got up and walked over to Tony's desk, "Have you noticed anything odd about McGee lately?" She whispered.

"You mean besides everything, as usual."

"I am serious, Tony. He has not been acting like himself lately."

Tony looked over at Tim, "Yeah, I know."

"So I am not the only one?"

"No."

"What do you think is wrong?"

Tony shook his head, "I don't know… but if it were too serious, he'd tell us."

"Are you certain about that?"

"What do you mean?"

"When his sister was in trouble he did not come to us. The only reason he did come, eventually, was because Gibbs found out."

"That was like four years ago, Zee. Listen, he's probably just having some mid-Probie crisis or something. We all have our moods."

Ziva sighed, "I suppose."

* * *

That night Tim walked into his apartment, threw down his things, and went to take a shower.

Tim stood in the shower, letting the water run over him. He had barely thirteen hours to complete the psychopath's task.

_'I looked for chances today, I really did, but we never went anywhere. I was at my desk all day. And I couldn't, for the life of me, think of something that just one hundred percent annoyed me with the team,'_ He thought to himself, as though he was trying to convince the creepy caller, _'Yes, Tony's nicknames are annoying, but I'm used to them now. It's not something I'd go ballistic over… Ziva doesn't annoy me. Gibbs is Gibbs… sure he can irritate me sometimes, but not to the point of yelling at him. Ducky doesn't bother me, and I love Abby… I mean, I couldn't do that to her.'_

He stepped out of the shower, dried off, and got dressed.

There was no way he could allow his parents to be tortured. No way! He'd have to find something to say to someone on his team within the next, now twelve, hours.

Tim went to his kitchen. He hadn't eaten since breakfast, and one serving of grits, fourteen hours ago, just wasn't cutting it anymore. He looked in his fridge and freezer. Nothing looked appetizing. He looked through his cabinets. Again, nothing caught his eye. He went back to the fridge and decided to force himself to eat leftover pasta that he had made a few days earlier.

Once it came out of the microwave he sat down in his computer chair and ate. Each bite came with a new thought, _'He's gonna kill my parents.'_ Bite. _'He almost killed Sarah.'_ Bite. _'I don't understand.'_ Bite. _'What if he really does torture them?'_ He sat the bowl down. He wasn't hungry anymore.

* * *

Tim's eyes fluttered open to the sound of a phone ringing. His head was tilted all the way back and when it jerked forward it caused a terrible pain. He looked around at his surroundings. He had fallen asleep in his chair, and he was feeling the consequences now. There was pain in his neck, back, legs, arms… everywhere.

The phone continued to ring. He remembered throwing it down with the rest of his things when he had gotten home, so he walked over to his door and picked it up.

"Hm," He answered sleepily.

"I'm sorry, Timothy, were you resting?"

Tim was suddenly wide awake, "What do you want, Jack?"

"Jack? Where did you get Jack from?"

"Cause you're a jacka-"

"I see that you are not going to finish my task," 'Jack' interrupted.

"I still have time."

"I know, but I've changed my mind. We're going to move on to phase two."

"What's phase two?" Tim asked nervously.

"Go to your door. There is a something waiting for you."

Tim hesitated for a moment. Then he picked up his gun and cautiously opened his door. After clearing the surrounding area he picked up the mailing envelope at his doorstep, "What is it?" He asked.

Jack laughed, "Well, open it."

He opened the envelope.

"Welcome to phase two, Timothy," Jack said before hanging up.

Tim laid down his phone and pulled a note out of the envelope, 'Now that phase one is complete, we are on to phase two. Remember, no tattling. Things won't end well for her if you do.'

"For her?" Tim wondered out loud.

He looked in the envelope. There was something else inside. He pulled out a photo that was turned upside down.

He turned it over and immediately felt sick. He dropped the photo and ran to his sink, throwing up the small amount of food that was in his stomach.

In the photo, blindfolded and bound to a chair, was Sarah.

* * *

**Dun. Dun. Dun.**

**I know, I'm evil, right? MUAHAHAHAHA!**

**Anyway, thank you guys for the reviews :) Keep 'em coming please and thanks!**


	7. Searching For Sarah

Tim rinsed his mouth out as he forced himself to hold it together. His head was pounding and his heart felt as though it was going to beat right through his chest. He walked back to where the picture had been dropped and he picked it back up, making himself look at it again.

_'It can't be real,'_ He thought in denial, _'He fixed the picture to make it look like her. That's it. It's not real.'_

His cell phone began ringing again. He answered it, but didn't speak.

"I take it I have given you enough time to get over the initial shock," Jack said. Tim could tell by the sound of his voice that he was smiling.

"This picture… It's not real. It can't be. There's no way that you-"

"I thought you might think this way," He interrupted, "One moment please."

For what felt like an eternity, but was only about thirty seconds, there was silence. Then, "T- Tim?" A very shaken and terrified Sarah said.

"Oh my God, Sarah." He felt sick again, but there was nothing left for him to throw up. Tears filled in his eyes, "Are you okay?"

"No," She said as she cried, "I'm scared, Tim."

"I know. I am so, so sorry, Sarah."

"What's happening?"

Tim was pacing back and forth, rubbing his head and trying to keep from screaming, "I- I don't know. But, I'm gonna find you. You're gonna be fine, okay?"

No answer.

"Sarah?"

"I'm cold," She replied.

The sound of her voice was making Tim go crazy. Tears were running down his face. He hesitated before asking a question that he wasn't sure he wanted the answer to, "Has he hurt you in any way?"

"J- Just when he tied me up. The ropes are tight."

"Do not worry, Timothy, I have not raped your little sister… yet," Jack said as he came back on the line.

"I swear I am going to kill you!" Tim yelled, "What is the matter with you? Are you too much of a coward to come get me? I'm the one you want, aren't I?"

Jack laughed, "Of course you are. This way is just so much more fun."

Tim took deep breaths, "Listen, we can do a trade. Let my sister go, and I'll come with you without a problem."

"Well, where's the fun in that? That way seems very boring to me. No, I think I will continue my way, but I give you a pat on your back for your bravery."

_'I have to tell them now,'_ Tim thought, _'There's no way I can keep this from them.'_

"Oh," Jack added, "If you're thinking about blabbing, I'd try and think it all through first. One, you have no idea where your sister is, and _I am_ with her. Two, if I so much as think that they are working to find her, I'll kill her, brutally. I'll tape the whole thing and force you to watch it over and over. Remember, Timothy, I know things very well. I know when you leave your apartment, I know when you come home early from work, I know when you get mad at Tony for his prying. I've been able to follow Ziva and Gibbs, taking pictures of them, without them even noticing. My partner has gotten into your parents house, taken an item, and set up security cameras, and they don't have a clue. I'm very good, Timothy. No matter how much you dislike me, you can't deny that I am _very_ good at what I do. Don't mess up, don't tell them anything, don't act suspicious. Now, you better go get ready. Work starts in an hour and you don't want to be late. If you don't go in and do your job without drawing suspicion, I'll rape her. Have a lovely day."

* * *

Tim went to work and spent the better part of the day avoiding everyone. He took as many bathroom, coffee, and snack breaks as possible. At lunch time he jumped at the offer to pick up lunch for everybody, needing to get out for a while. Thankfully today was a day where Gibbs and Tony were in interrogation most of the time. Ziva would pop in and out of interrogation, and Tim was doing computer work… although he was anything _but_ focused on the Gunny case, which was becoming more difficult to figure out than they thought it would be.

Every time Tim was alone, he let his human emotions take over. He'd hit things, shed some tears, use every imaginable curse word to describe the psychopath he nicknamed Jack.

He knew the first thing he needed to do when he got home. He needed to run a trace on Sarah's cell phone. He knew she wouldn't have it anymore, but if it was on, he'd at least have somewhere to go. Maybe someone there saw something, or heard something.

* * *

The second he got home he got right on his computer. He began the trace on her cell phone.

"Come on, come on, come on!" He repeated impatiently.

It only took two minutes to get a location, but it felt like hours to him.

He went to write down the area, then paused. It was in one of the worst areas in DC. There was no way Sarah was ever there… but somehow her cell phone was.

From where the computer had pinpointed the location, it looked as though it was behind a store, in an alley. He wrote down the store address and got into his car.

It was already dark outside. The area he was in was home to some of the biggest gangs around, however he didn't even think about that as he pulled into the store, in his Porsche, and got out. He didn't care whether his car would be there or not when he returned.

He looked on his cell phone. Sarah's phone was still in the same spot, behind the store.

Tim walked to the back of the store. He hid behind a dumpster when he saw four guys, all well over six feet tall, standing there. He watched for a moment, then saw them messing with something.

There was just a little bit of light coming from the streetlights, but it was enough for him to see that they were messing with Sarah's phone.

Not thinking about his safety, he began to approach them.

One guy noticed first, then he said something and they all turned in Tim's direction.

"Well, well, who is this string bean?" The tallest man asked.

"He looks rich," Another man replied.

"Where'd you get the phone?" Tim asked, ignoring their stares and comments.

"What phone?"

Tim didn't have time for this, "Just tell me where you found the phone and I'll leave!"

The third man stepped up, chomping on gum, "How 'bout we beat the crap out of you instead?"

"Apparently you're all too afraid to, or you would have already," Tim replied, not backing down or showing any fear.

The gum chomper glared, "What did you just say?"

"You heard me. Phone, now!"

The tallest man pulled a knife out from behind him and smiled, "Yeah, now who's afraid?"

"Oh, wow, you've got a knife," Tim said in a monotone voice. He reached into the jacket he was wearing, "Well, looky here, I've got a gun," He said as he pulled out his weapon. Then he reached down and pulled something else out of his shoe, "_And_ a knife." He put his gun and knife in one hand, aiming the gun at the tallest man, then held up a finger, "Oh yeah, and one other thing." He reached underneath his jacket and grabbed it, then showed it to them, "A badge." Tim had already realized that they weren't a gang. They were just four idiots who liked to think they were a gang.

"He's a cop!" One of them yelled as they all started to run.

Tim dropped his knife and badge then ran after them. He caught the one who was holding the cell phone and practically threw him up against the alley wall.

"Don't shoot me!" The guy yelled.

"Shut up!" Tim yelled back, "If you don't hand over the phone and tell me where you got it, I will shoot you. I have a very good friend who has taught me how to kill someone without leaving any forensic evidence, and I can guarantee that no one will ever know how you died or who did it. Understand?"

The man nodded nervously, "Yes, yes, I understand."

Tim kept him held up against the wall, "What's your name?"

"M- Mike."

"Where'd you get the phone, Mike?"

"S- Some dude gave it to me earlier today. He gave me a hundred dollars and told me to keep my mouth shut. Said he wanted it off his hands."

"What did he look like?"

Mike didn't reply.

Tim took the gun and placed it up against Mike's forehead.

"Okay! Okay! I don't know, man! He was a dude. A white dude! He had hair. He was like your height I guess. I don't know, man, I was high! Just don't shoot me!"

Tim rolled his eyes and sighed, "Hand me the phone."

Mike did immediately.

Tim released the hold he had on him, and Mike ran off.

Tim walked over to where he had dropped his knife and badge and picked them up, then made his way back to his car. That's when Tim realized something. The phone was a distraction. Jack had given it away, knowing that Tim would go wherever the phone was at. He began running to his car, knowing he needed to get home quickly.

* * *

**I hope you guys are enjoying the story :) Thank you to all who have reviewed! It's much appreciated.**

**Okay, so I promised myself a long time ago that I would never again do more than one story at once... I broke that promise. Last night a McGee/Abby story popped into my head... It's a lot different from my other McGee/Abby story Broken Angel. I don't know when I'll add it though. I guess once I get a few chapters written. Until then, enjoy this story! :)  
**


	8. One Of Eight

Tim hurried up the steps to his apartment. He froze when he saw his door was ajar. He drew his weapon, getting prepared for whoever may be inside.

He counted to three, in his head, then pushed the door open. Gun ready to fire if necessary, he went through each room, clearing them all. His last stop was the bathroom. He made sure no one was behind the shower curtain, then looked at his mirror.

There were four pictures taped onto the mirror. One of Sarah crying. The next of her passed out with blood running down her face. Then another one of her passed out, just from a different angle.

Tim felt his face becoming red as anger grew inside of him. He looked at the last picture. It was just a glassy, green block. Tim reached out and pulled that one off of the mirror. He turned it over and written on the back was '#1 of 8'.

Tim's cell phone began to ring. He answered quickly, "What now?" He asked angrily.

"Excuse me, Timothy?"

Tim sighed, "Mom, I- I didn't know it was you."

"Who do you speak to that way? Hopefully not your boss or co-workers… or sister."

"No, Mom. I've- I've been getting calls from someone wanting to sell me crap that I don't want."

"Then you should politely tell them to stop calling."

Tim took a deep breath, trying to keep himself from strangling the phone, "Okay, Mom. What did you call for?"

"You never called me back like you said you would, Timothy."

"I'm sorry, I've just been really, _really_ busy," Tim replied as he put a hand to his forehead. He could feel a migraine coming on.

"You should never be too busy for family. Now, what happened between you and Sarah?"

"Nothing. It was just a misunderstanding. Don't worry about it."

"Timothy, when my daughter calls me up, crying about something her brother said, I have reason to worry."

"I know, but it's over now and we're…" He looked at the pictures on the mirror, "We're fine."

"I'm glad to hear that. I haven't heard from your sister in a while so I was worried that she was bad off."

"No, I just- I just talked to her not long ago and…" He sighed, "Don't worry, Mom." Tim's phone beeped and he looked at he caller ID. It was a blocked number, "I'm gonna have to go, okay? Love you."

"Love you, too."

He switched over, "What?"

"Did you have a fun adventure finding Sarah's cell phone tonight? I hope those men didn't hurt you."

"You said you wouldn't hurt her! You said if I did what you wanted, that you wouldn't hurt her!"

"No, no, no. What I said was that I hadn't raped her, and that I would kill her if I found out that anyone on your team was looking for her. You haven't told, and she's not dead. Although, she will have quite the headache when she wakes up."

Tim felt like crying… or finding the biggest hole in the world, crawling into it, and never coming out again. But there was no way he was going to show weakness to this man, "What's the picture of the green block for?"

"Well, that's for you to figure out, Timothy. Have you read the back?"

"Yeah."

"Then you know there is more where that came from. Patience, my friend. You must have patience."

"It's kind of difficult to be patient when you've kidnapped my sister."

Jack sighed, "That's why I like you, Timothy. You're friends and family come first, even over yourself. Not many men are like that. You, Timothy, are a good man."

"And you are a horrible one."

Jack laughed, "That I am. And I am okay with that. Get some sleep. Another full day of work tomorrow. Remember, don't be late."

* * *

Tim exited the elevator, moving so slowly a snail may have been able to beat him. He looked absolutely horrible. The dark circles he had under his eyes before, were now ten times worse. He seemed to be getting skinnier by the minute… The lack of food being the cause of that. He had only gotten two hours of sleep last night, and that was by accident. He was on his computer and practically fell over the keyboard into a restless sleep.

"Oh my God," Tony said, without thinking, as Tim passed by.

Ziva looked up, doing a double take at Tim, "Tim? Are you alright?"

Tim sat down in his chair, "Fine."

Tony walked over to Tim's desk, "You sure about that, Probie? You look like death."

"Thanks," Tim sighed, "I'm fine. I just didn't sleep well last night."

"Loud neighbors again?" Ziva asked.

Tim looked at her, wondering how she had heard that.

"Abby told me," She added.

"Yeah, sure, that's why."

Tony glanced back at Ziva, then looked at Tim, "Someone treating you badly, McGloomy?"

Tim stared at his computer screen, "You could say that."

Ziva got up from her desk and walked over to Tim, "Would you like me to take care of them for you? All I need is a toothpick."

"I thought you used a paperclip," Tony said.

"I go both ways."

Tony went to make a comment, but Tim spoke first, "No thanks, Ziva. It's not that simple. Listen, can- can we just drop this please?"

Tony sighed, "For now, maybe," He said as he walked back to his desk.

Ziva stayed a moment longer, "I am here for you, McGee, if you ever need anything."

"Thanks, Ziva."

"You are welcome."

* * *

"Let's go!" Gibbs exclaimed as he came into the bullpen.

"Where, Boss?" Tony asked.

"The wife to our dead Gunny was found dead this morning."

"You're kidding? I bet like forty bucks she was the killer!"

Gibbs glared at him.

"Not that I bet on cases, Boss. I don't, I just-"

Gibbs smacked his head.

"Thank you, Boss."

"Mhm. Come on!"

* * *

"Tony, sketch and take measurements. Ziva, bag and tag. McGee, photos."

"Yes, Boss."

"Yes, Gibbs."

Tim didn't answer, he just got out the camera then headed into the house.

He took a couple of pictures, then started to get dizzy. He blinked a few times, then everything seemed to go back to normal.

He went into the kitchen where there was a big mess, from a struggle, and began taking pictures in there. Again, everything started to blur and he became dizzy. He grabbed onto the kitchen table to keep himself from falling over.

"McGee, you okay?" Gibbs asked as he watched the younger agent from the dining room.

Tim nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine."

Gibbs went back to his work, then, only seconds later, a loud thud was heard from the kitchen. Gibbs turned to see Tim lying on the floor, unconscious.

* * *

**Today's the day! A new NCIS comes on tonight! YAY! I can't wait. I'm not a fan of EJ (and no, not because she is messing with Tiva. I'm not a fan of Tiva), but I think her being there will create LOTS of drama. Anyway, I bet it'll be good.**

**Please review! If you don't, I'll Gibbs smack your head tonight as you sleep.**


	9. Hiding Something

"I think he needs to go to the hospital."

"Just wait for him to wake up, Anthony."

"What if he's dying?"

"Oh, for goodness sake, he's not dying."

"How is he, Duck?"

"When he awakens, we will ask him."

Tim could hear these, seemingly distant, voices as he slowly came back to the conscious world. He groaned as he opened his eyes.

"Probie's awake!"

Tim looked around. Ducky was right beside him, then Tony near his head, Ziva at his other side, Gibbs down by his feet, and Jimmy was standing just outside of the van.

"Well, hello, Timothy. You gave us quite the scare, dear boy."

"Am… Am I in the coroner van?"

"That you are."

Tim's face scrunched, "That's a little unnerving."

"It was either here or the victim's couch," Tony said, "And seeing that our victim is _on_ the couch…"

Tim tried to sit up, but still felt dizzy.

"Whoa, McMoveFast, why don't you stay where you are?"

"I wanna sit up."

"Then let us help you," Ducky said as he and Tony both placed their hands on Tim's shoulders. They helped him into a sitting position, then everything was quiet.

Tim looked around, everyone was staring at him, "What?"

"You just passed out, McGee," Gibbs replied, "That's what."

"I'm fine."

"Timothy, could you tell me the last time you ate something?"

Tony patted his back, "Yeah, your stomach has been growling like a bear."

"I- I just haven't felt like eating."

"When was the last time, Timothy?" Ducky asked again, but more demanding this time.

"Um," He held his forehead as he thought back, "I had pasta… two days ago… and I threw it up."

"You haven't eaten in almost three days?" Ducky asked in shock.

"Guess not. I haven't really noticed."

"Anthony, do you have a protein bar in your backpack?"

Tony thought for a second, "Yeah, I do. I'll go get it."

"Oh, I'll go," Jimmy said, knowing it would be easier for him, then for Tony to have to climb over everyone.

"Why in heavens name have you not eaten in so long?"

Tim shrugged, "Haven't felt like it."

"Are you still sick?" Ziva asked.

"No, I-" He sighed, "I feel fine. I just haven't had an appetite."

"Can't have you passin' out on the job, McGee," Gibbs said, "Go home. Get some rest."

"No!" Tim yelled suddenly. He didn't mean for it to come out so loudly, but there was no way he could go home. Not if that could lead to Sarah's death.

Gibbs stared at him, "Excuse me?"

Just then Jimmy returned with the bar, "Here you go," He said, handing it to Ducky.

"Eat this, Timothy."

"Ducky, I-"

"You can eat this, or go to the hospital. Your choice."

Tim took a deep breath, "Fine," He looked back at Gibbs, "Please don't make me go home, Boss."

Gibbs looked at him, seemingly in deep thought, then he turned to Ducky, "Can I talk to you for a minute, Duck?"

"Of course. Ziva, Anthony, watch him. Make sure he eats the whole bar. Every bite!"

"Yes, Ducky."

"Can do, Ducky."

Gibbs and Ducky walked over to the sidewalk.

"Jethro, if you are going to ask me what is wrong with the boy, I'd say it is that he hasn't eaten in so long. That is not very healthy at all, for anyone."

Gibbs stared at him, and Ducky seemed to read his mind, "You think there is something more going on?"

Gibbs nodded, "Yeah, I do."

"Yes, I believe that as well," Ducky replied as he looked back at the van, "However, there is no way we can force the truth out of him."

"Is that a general statement, or meant for me in particular?"

"Which does it need to be?"

Gibbs smiled slightly, "I won't force him, for now, but if it keeps affecting his job…"

"Then you can pry away."

"You think he's okay to stay at work?"

Ducky nodded, "I believe so. Just make sure he eats lunch, even if he doesn't feel like it."

"Okay. Better get back. Thanks Duck."

"You are very welcome, Jethro."

* * *

When Tim got back home he immediately took out Sarah's cell phone. He wondered why no one had called or texted her. He also wondered why none of her friends had reported her missing.

He started at the top of her contacts and worked his way down. Basically all of them had heard what he had said to her, about her being a failure, so they hung up before he had a chance to ask any questions. No one even seemed to notice, or care, that he was calling from her phone either.

He got down to the R's and called Randy.

"Hey, Sarah."

"Uh, this isn't Sarah. This is her brother, Tim."

"Oh… Why do you have her phone?"

_'Finally, someone noticed.'_

"She, uh, she left it at my house. Do you know where she is?"

"She texted me like three days ago. Said she was going to visit her parents… well, you're parents. Said she didn't want to be bothered."

Tim was silent for a moment. He had checked all of Sarah's last outgoing messages, and that wasn't there.

"Hello?"

"Oh, sorry. Thanks, Randy."

"No problem… Hey, shouldn't you already know if she was going to visit your parents?"

Tim sighed, "She… forgets to mention things sometimes."

Randy laughed, "Oh, okay. Bye."

"Bye." Tim hung up and connected his sister's phone to his computer. He suddenly felt like he needed to check everything that was recently deleted… in other words, his gut was acting up.

Tim's house phone began to ring. He immediately felt nauseous. He walked to his phone and answered, "Yeah?"

"Timothy, Timothy, how are you feeling? I saw you having to be carried out by Agents Gibbs and DiNozzo today. Please tell me everything's alright."

Tim closed his eyes, "Nothing's alright, you freak."

"Tell me, have you found part two of eight yet?"

"Yeah, I did," Tim replied, hoping it would surprise Jack and make him screw up somehow.

"Really? And what do you think of it?"

"It's… interesting," Tim replied as the phone continued to download all recently deleted items.

"Timothy," Jack replied in a disappointed tone, "I really thought you cared about your sister more than that. It's not nice to lie to me, and I can tell by the sound of your voice that you are lying."

"No, I'm not," Tim said nervously.

"Another lie! Lies are not good things, Timothy."

Suddenly a video feed began on Tim's computer. Sarah was still bound in the chair, her chin was to her chest and she looked as though she was half out of it.

The world could have been crumbling to the ground and Tim wouldn't have noticed. Everything seemed to stop. His eyes were wide with fear, "What- what is this?"

A man walked over to Sarah, dressed in black from head to toe. No part of his body could be seen, "This is me, punishing you for lying."

"No! No, don't hurt her!" Tim exclaimed.

The man took a hold of Sarah from under her chin and jerked her head up. Her eyes popped open and she gasped. With one swift motion, Jack punched Sarah in the gut.

"Ah!" She screamed and began to cry.

"Stop it!" Tim yelled, cursing at the man. He was now standing up, although he didn't even remember getting off of the chair.

"This is why we don't lie, Timothy." He pulled his arm back again, and punched her in the gut, again.

"No!" She screamed, crying hysterically and coughing at the same time.

"I won't lie to you again! Just stop hurting her!" Tim yelled.

The man walked up closer to the camera, "If you do it again, I will not hesitate to kill her." The video feed disappeared and Jack hung up the phone.

Now on the computer screen was a photo, recently deleted from Sarah's phone. It was another green block with '#2 of 8' written underneath.

Tim sat back down in his computer chair, bent over, resting his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands, and cried.

* * *

**Aw! Today is my one year fanfiction anniversary! I began my first story on April 6th, 2010. It had a total of 21 chapters and 31 reviews... Wow, how times have changed in just a year. This story has 9 chapters and beats my first story haha ...I just went and reread my first story, and boy did it stink! Don't know what I was thinking... Anyway, hope this is better :)**

**Thanks for all the reviews! You guys are almost as cool as Bert the Hippo (_almost_). **

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	10. Lies

Two more days passed for Tim. That meant two more days of sleepless nights, going to work, barely noticing the world around him, only thinking about one thing, trying to do his job, making sure he ate so he wouldn't pass out again, going home the second he could, and spending the night thinking of what he could do to find Sarah.

* * *

It was 7am. Tim was sitting at his desk… falling asleep.

Tony looked over at him, a worried expression on his face. He had taken more notice to Tim's odd behavior ever since Tim had passed out at the crime scene. Before that, he knew Tim was acting strangely, but he shrugged it off… now he was more concerned. Tim had fallen asleep at his desk before, but that was when they were working a tough case and hadn't been able to go home. And, right now, they were getting to go home by seven o'clock every night.

Now Tim was fully asleep. His arms crossed on his desk, and his head resting on them.

The elevator doors opened, and Gibbs stepped out. Tony quickly began making lots of noise. Slamming his desk drawers and coughing, trying to wake up Tim… It didn't work.

Tony stopped making noise when Gibbs entered the bullpen.

Gibbs glanced at Tony, then looked over at Tim, "How long?" He asked.

"About three minutes."

Gibbs nodded, "Where's Ziva?"

"Down with Abby… You, uh, want me to wake him up?"

Gibbs looked at his watch then shook his head, "No. Go get Ziva, then you and her go pick up the husbands of our Gunny's mistresses."

Tony gave one last look at Tim, knowing Gibbs was just as worried as he was, "Yes, Boss," He replied as he got up and walked to the elevator.

* * *

An hour passed by. Gibbs stayed at his desk, not really doing anything. He watched as agents passed by laughing, arguing, dropping things. All those loud noises passing by… and Tim still slept.

Gibbs got up and walked over to Tim's desk. He cleared his throat, then sternly said, "Tim."

Tim's head popped up immediately, "What?" He answered quickly. He blinked a few times before realizing Gibbs was standing there… once he _did_ notice, he stood up quickly, "Boss! I was… I was-"

"Sleeping?"

Tim swallowed hard, "Yes, but only for a…" His voice trailed off as he looked at his watch, "Hour?"

"Follow me." Gibbs turned before Tim could say another word… not that he could anyway. He was too embarrassed and nervous to speak.

He followed Gibbs to the elevator. When the doors opened, Ziva, Tony, and the two husbands were exiting. Tony kept quiet, but he knew what was coming. He gave Tim a sympathetic glance, then walked off.

"In," Gibbs said, holding the door open.

Tim took a deep breath and stepped inside the elevator, Gibbs stepping in after him.

Gibbs pressed a random button and the doors closed, then he pressed the emergency switch.

Tim waited. Waited for the yelling. Waited for the _"What were you thinking, sleeping on the job for a whole hour?"_...That didn't come. What _did_ come was a stare. A long, almost painful stare.

Then, in a normal tone, Gibbs asked, "What's going on, Tim?"

_'Oh God, he's using my first name.'_

"What- What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean."

"I just… I haven't been sleeping well, I guess."

"You haven't been sleeping, _or eating_, well, McGee. Why?"

"Well, I was- I was sick for a little while. I had lost my appetite from that… The sleeping is from loud neighbors."

Gibbs came up even closer to Tim, forcing the younger agent to look him in the eyes, "Don't lie to me, Tim."

"I'm not."

"I swear, Tim, if you're lyin'…" His voice trailed off. This was pointless, Tim wasn't going to be honest. Gibbs sighed and flipped the switch back, "Get earplugs!"

Tim's eyebrows furrowed, "What?"

"The loud neighbors. Get earplugs."

"Oh, right. I will, Boss."

The doors opened and Gibbs stepped off, but Tim didn't.

"You just gonna stay in there all day?"

Tim cleared his throat, "I'm gonna get some coffee. I'll be back up in a minute."

* * *

Tim sat on a bench, sipping his coffee, worrying about the fact that there was no way he could hide his secret for much longer. Everyone knew it, he is a horrible liar. Even if he didn't tell them, they would figure it out.

Just then his cell phone began to ring. He answered, unsure of it was one of his team members or Jack, "Hello."

"I have some news for you, Timothy."

Anger rose inside of Tim, "What?" He asked through gritted teeth.

"Phase three is about to begin."

Tim feared the answer to his next question, "What's phase three?"

"It's where you tell your team about our relationship, and you try to find your sister."

Tim's heart skipped a beat, "I've already been trying to find her."

"Yes, I know, but that's going nowhere. Now you will have help."

"Why do you want me to tell? I thought you didn't want the rest of them to know."

Jack sighed, "You're full of questions aren't you? Always asking, why this, or why that. Just know that I have my reasons for everything I do. Now listen to me. You are not going to tell until you get the third picture. I can not tell you when that will be, but have patience. If you tell them before receiving the next picture, I'll kill your precious little sister."

Tim stood up, "Let me talk to her," He demanded.

"Oh, I'm sorry. She's unavailable at the moment. She was getting a little mouthy, so now I have her resting. Goodbye, Timothy."

Jack hung up and Tim put his phone back in his pocket. He paced back and forth a few times, cursing Jack's name under his breath.

A sudden burst of anger flashed through him and he kicked the bench he had been sitting on. All that accomplished was a broken bench, and a throbbing foot.

He shook off the pain and headed back into NCIS, never knowing that Tony had been watching from a window upstairs.

* * *

**So, I'm leaving today and I'll be staying with my grandparents for a few days. I'm not sure if that means I'll have more, or less, time to update. So, I may not be updating as regularly for a few days. No worries, things should return to normal after Sunday.**

**Random: I had a dream last night that everyone at NCIS had to go to Mexico for a case. While there (and I'm making a VERY long story short), Abby voiced her love for Tim. Twas a pretty awesome dream... then I woke up :P BLERG!**

**But I digress...  
**

**Thanks for all the reviews! They're so much fun to read!**


	11. Phase Three

When Tim got home that night the first thing he did was search his house, looking for clue three. After pretty much trashing his apartment, he went to his computer. He constantly checked his e-mail, waiting for a new message, for hours.

Around two in the morning, he fell asleep at his desk. He tried as hard as he could to stay awake, but he just couldn't.

* * *

Tim was pulled from an unpeaceful sleep by the sound of his house phone ringing. He blinked a few times, trying to fully wake up, and looked at the clock on his computer screen.

_'7am!'_ He thought, _'I was supposed to be at work thirty minutes ago!'_

The phone continued to ring, reminding Tim about the predicament he was currently in. His head and heart began pounding as he answered the phone, "Hello?"

"Good morning, Timothy. I see you are late for work."

Tim began to panic, "No! Don't hurt her. I'm only thirty minutes late and they don't know, I-"

"Don't worry, Timothy. You needed your rest, I understand… See, you will find I am a fair man."

"Nothing you are doing is fair."

"Well, maybe not to you… but to me, it is. Now, you need to open your door and claim your gift. You wouldn't want a nosey neighbor to pick it up and take it for themselves. Goodbye, Timothy, and good luck."

Jack hung up, and Tim did the same. He looked at his door for a moment before he even stood up. _'This must be phase three! It has to be. I can tell them now.'_

Soon enough he came out of his trance. He got up, ran to his door, opened it as fast as he could, and looked down. There sat a yellow manila envelope, ready for him to pick up and rip open… which he did, immediately.

First he pulled out a a picture of Sarah. She was bound to the chair, crying, with dried blood on the side of her head. He took a deep breath, trying to keep himself calm, and pulled out a piece of paper. Written on it was 'Welcome to phase three, Timothy. Now it is time for the real fun to begin.' Tim put the piece of paper, and the picture, under his arm, then pulled out the last photo. It was another green block, with a little bit of something white in the bottom right corner. On the back was written '#3 of 8'.

Tim stuffed everything back into the envelope. He ran to his living room and picked up a box, which was where he had been keeping everything he received from Jack. He put the envelope into the box then grabbed his keys and left, not bothering to lock the door behind him… or change out of his sweatpants and olive green t-shirt.

* * *

Tim got to NCIS in record time, breaking pretty much every traffic law that existed. He entered the building, breezing past the familiar faces at the front security desk. He received some odd glances, but they just shrugged, figuring that he was on Gibbs' team and, well, they did weird things all the time.

He stormed up the stairs, deciding the elevator would take too long, and headed straight for the bullpen.

As he walked towards them, Tony looked up from his desk and gave him a 'You're in so much trouble' look, follow by a 'What the heck are you wearing' look.

Tim ignored it and entered the squadroom. Ziva looked up at him, then to Tony. Tony just shrugged and they both waited to see what would happen.

Gibbs was on the phone as Tim walked over to his desk. Not even waiting a moment, Tim reached over and pressed down on the switch hook, disconnecting the call.

Gibbs looked up angrily. He stood up, "What do you think you're doing, McGee?" He asked, clearly frustrated.

"I need everyone in the conference room, _now_."

"Why don't you give me a reason to not fire you instead."

Tim didn't bat an eye. He stared at Gibbs, "I'm serious, Gibbs. I want everyone in the conference room."

Tony and Ziva stared, wide eyed and in shock. No one who knew Gibbs ever talked to him like that.

"What's this about, McGee?"

"You wanted the truth?" Tim asked, knowing Gibbs would understand.

Gibbs sighed and nodded, "Yeah."

"Conference room. I'll get Abby. Ducky here?"

"No."

"Okay, he can be filled in later. I'll meet you all there in a couple of minutes." Tim walked off, leaving Gibbs to break Tony and Ziva out of their blinkless shock.

Gibbs looked at them both, then headed for the conference room, "Well, come on!"

* * *

Tim arrived a few minutes later with Abby.

"This better be important, Timmy! I'm running a lot of tests right now and I have a lot of work to do and-"

"Just, sit down, Abby," He said calmly, yet firmly, to her as they walked in the door.

She glared at him for a second, then sat down. Everyone else was already seated, waiting for whatever Tim had to say that was_ so_ important.

Tim went to the head of the table and stood, the box still in his hands.

"Did you get us some McPresents, McTim?" Tony asked.

Tim didn't reply. He sat the box down, and took one of the envelopes out. He opened it, then, one by one, he laid out the pictures that Jack had taken of the team. He slid some across the table so that everyone could see from where they were seated.

"What is this?" Ziva asked.

Tim didn't speak. He opened another envelope, pulling pictures of Sarah out. He then laid those pictures out for them to see.

Tony looked confused, "Is this some sort of joke, McGee?"

Tim continued to lay out pictures until all of them were on the table. Then he laid Sarah's cell phone down too.

Tony, Abby, and Gibbs each had a picture in their hand, Ziva had two.

Gibbs looked up from the picture, to Tim, "Speak, Tim! What the heck's goin' on?"

"I'm going to tell you everything," He assured them, "But I don't want any of you to interrupt. Just let me say it all, then you can do or say whatever you want."

"Tell us, Tim," Abby replied.

And so he did. From the first phone call he received on that horrible night, up to waking up this morning to new pictures at his door.

Once he finished, he waited… He waited for reactions, for yelling, and storming out of the room in anger. But, instead, he was met with silence. No one knew what to say, or do.

After a moment Gibbs cleared his throat, "Ziva, go to Waverly and talk to all of Sarah's friends. Find out who was the last person to see her, and where that was."

Ziva nodded, stood, and left the room.

"Tim, where do your parents live in Oregon?"

"Medford."

"Tony, call Medford PD, get the McGee's on a plane to DC, _now_."

"On it, Boss," Tony said as he left out of the room.

"Abby."

Abby was staring at the photos, unsure of what to think.

"Abby!" Gibbs said again, louder to get her attention.

"What?" She replied with a slight jump.

"Take all of this stuff down with you and check for prints and DNA."

She nodded, "Okay." She stood up and gathered everything together. Tim handed her the box and she placed everything inside, then left without saying another word.

"What about me, Boss?" Tim asked, "What do you want me to do?"

Gibbs stood up slowly, glaring at Tim, "You aren't going to be doing anything, possibly ever again! What were you thinkin', Tim? Keeping that from us is possibly the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

"But-"

"No! Don't try to make it seem like you have a good reason. There is no good reason for keeping this a secret. None! The second you got that phone call the other night, you should have called us and told us what happened. We could have caught this guy by now, _whoever_ he may be! All that evidence, you've already contaminated. Even if we did find his prints, or DNA, it couldn't be used in court! And he's been in your house, McGee! He could have left prints in there too!"

"He didn't!" Tim exclaimed, "He's not stupid. He knows what he's doing, and everything he does has a reason to it. When he wants to be caught, he will be caught. Until then, I'm part of his game and so is my family! It may not seem like a good reason to you, but I would do anything in my power to protect my family and that includes not telling anyone about what was going on. If he had just threatened you, Tony, and Ziva then I would have told right away. You all can handle yourselves, I know that. But that's my family. If I lose them…" Tim's voice trailed off as he thought about Sarah. Tears came to his eyes, but he refused to let them fall, "Gibbs, you can fire me, and make it to where I never get another job again, even as a burger flipper at some fast food restaurant... _after_ we find my sister, and this guy."

Gibbs was still angry, very angry, but he understood. If that had been his family, he probably would have done the same thing… No, there was no probably to it. If not telling would have kept his wife and daughter alive, he never would have spoken a word.

"We'll, find them, McGee," Gibbs said in a softer tone, "But you and your parents are going to have to stay at a safe house until then."

"What? No!"

"You don't have a choice-"

"Boss, this guy wants me. Sure he's using everyone else in the process, but I'm his endgame. If I go away, so does he, and he won't come back until I reappear. I have no doubt that he will kill Sarah if I don't continue with his game. I can't risk that. I _won't_ risk that."

Gibbs knew he was right, and he hated that. "God, McGee, when'd you become so much like…"

"You?" Tim finished. He shrugged, "I learn from the best."

Gibbs sighed, "Alright, you continue everything as you normally would, but your parents go into protective custody."

Tim nodded, "Agreed."

They went to leave out of the room, but Tim stopped, "Boss?"

Gibbs turned around, "Yeah?"

"Can you make sure my parents don't know about Sarah? I think it would be… well, not _easier_ coming from me, but…" He took a deep breath, "I want to be the one to tell them."

Gibbs nodded, "I'll make sure," He replied, then he walked out of the room.

Tim started to head back to the bullpen, but halfway there, he turned and headed for the elevator instead. He needed to talk to someone, and it couldn't wait.

* * *

**I'm getting so annoyed with this site right now! Twice I've done spell check on a chapter (for this and for Our Darkest Moments), I've read over the whole thing and made changes, then I click save, and an error message pops up! Anyway, I tried to update this yesterday, and it wouldn't let me. **

** In other news: When I was at my grandma's, another idea for a story popped into my head! It's so cruel!... But, I've come to accept that I enjoy doing cruel things to Tim.**

**Finally: Thank you for reading and reviewing! It means a lot!**


	12. Mom And Dad

Tim stepped off the elevator and walked to the doorway of the lab. He stopped as he watched Abby busily working, dusting all of the photos for prints.

He could tell that she was very upset when she had left out of the conference room, and, while he knew that everyone on the team was upset with him… the thought of Abby being mad at him was the worst.

After a moment, he walked into the lab, "Hey, Abbs," He said, keeping some distance between them, knowing she wouldn't want him close.

"Tim. I am busy, you will have to return later."

A small smile crept across his face. He knew it was the worst time to smile, but when she gave him the cold shoulder and talked in her matter-of-fact voice, it humored him sometimes. And this was one of those times. She wasn't facing him, but he forced the smile away quickly anyway.

"I need to talk to you."

"I told you, I don't have time."

"It won't take long, I need to get back to work anyway."

"You can talk, but I can't promise that I'll listen."

Tim sighed. He took a few steps closer to her before he began, "I'm not completely sure why you're mad at me, but I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings."

Abby turned around quickly, "You could have told us, Timmy!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms in the air, "We could have helped from the very beginning. You lied to all of us, saying you were sick all those days, and blaming neighbors for lack of sleep… and we're supposed to be family!"

"Abb-"

"Now your sister is hurt, and I know that's hard on you, and I'm so sorry about that. That's horrible. But, maybe if we knew about it before, it wouldn't have come to this."

"Abby."

"What?"

"What if it was your brother and your parents?"

She swallowed hard, "What?"

"What if it was your brother and your parents?" He repeated, "What if you knew, without a doubt, that if you didn't follow some strange man's rules, that he would hurt, and kill, your family? What would you do?"

"I… I would go to Gibbs."

"Abby, be honest."

She sighed, "Okay, I get it. I would do whatever it took to keep my family alive."

He nodded, "Thank you… And you're right, you and the rest of the team are like family to me too, but I still couldn't risk it."

She rushed over to him and gave him the biggest hug she could manage, which he, of course, returned, "I'm so sorry you are going through this, Timmy. This must be terrible for you."

"It does kind of feel like a nightmare."

"We'll fix this, Tim," Abby replied as the hug ended, "We'll find your sister, and this jerk, and you and your family will be safe."

"I believe that, Abbs. Thanks." Tim ran his fingers through his hair, "This is all so… insane. My parents will be here soon, and I'll have to tell them about… about Sarah. About everything! They're gonna go crazy. My mom won't be able to handle it, and my dad-"

"Tim," Abby said calmly, "It's going to be okay. Just relax. It'll be hard to deal with, but you'll get through it. And, if you need me, I'm always here for you."

Tim nodded, and held back the tears that threatened to fall, "Thank you."

"Anytime."

"I, uh… I better get back to work."

"Me too."

Tim turned to leave, but Abby called him back, "Tim?"

He turned around, "Yeah?"

"Have you told the others what you told me? You know, about what if it were them… so they'd understand."

He shook his head, "No."

"How come?"

He paused, "I can deal with them being upset at me right now. I know that they'll get over it in time, but… it's different with you. I didn't want to wait for time to fix us."

Abby smiled, "I'll… I 'll let you know if, I mean _when_, I get something."

"Okay, later, Abbs."

"Later, Timmy."

* * *

It was getting late in the day… A day that had been very busy, but showed no progress. Tim waited for another phone call, expecting Jack to want to know how things were going… that call didn't come.

Ziva had talked to all of Sarah's friends, and the last one to see her said that she was leaving the library late that night to go to her apartment and go to bed… That was the only new information they knew.

No prints, besides Tim's, or DNA was found on the photos, envelopes, letters, or the cellphone.

Tim rested his elbows on his desk, and laid his head in his hands, "This is ridiculous. I thought once I was allowed to tell, and once the whole team started working on it, then everything would move faster."

Tony, who was the only other one in the bullpen at the moment, sighed, "We'll find her, Probie."

"Not if we keep moving at this pace."

Tony walked over to Tim's desk. Yes, he was angry that Tim had kept the secret from them all, but right now that didn't matter.

"It seems that most of what we know, comes from this guy-"

"Jack. Call him Jack."

Tony nodded, "It seems that most of what we know, comes from Jack. The clues are probably where you can find her."

"I know that, but three pictures of the same green, glassy block doesn't help much."

"True."

The elevator dinged and opened, revealing three NCIS agents, and a couple probably in their mid sixties.

Tony nudged Tim, who was still holding his head in his hands, "That your parents?"

Tim looked up, then stood up quickly. He moved past Tony and walked up to them, "Thanks for bringing them up," He said to the agents. They nodded and walked away.

"Mom, dad-"

"What's going on, Timothy?" His mom asked.

"It's- It's a long story."

His dad stepped up, "Timothy McGee, if you don't tell me why I was pulled out of a peaceful sleep this morning by the police, telling me to get my things together because I had to go to DC immediately but not giving me a reason why, then-"

"Dad, I swear I am going to tell you both everything, but this isn't the best place to do it."

"We thought something had happened to you," His mom said, tears filling in her eyes. She pulled Tim into a hug, "It's good to see you, honey. We don't see each other enough."

"I know, mom. It's good to see you too."

Tony slowly walked up behind Tim, a grin on his face. He had never met the McGee's before, and although this was in bad circumstances, he couldn't help smiling as he saw the two people who knew his Probie when he was just a little guy.

"Who's this?" Tim's dad asked as he pointed to Tony.

Tim's mom let go of him and he turned, "Oh, this is my partner, Tony. Tony, there are my parents, Carol and Mike."

Tony reached out and shook both of their hands, "It's nice to meet you both."

"It's lovely meeting you, too," Carol said with a smile, "I feel like I know you, I've heard to much about you."

"You're the one that gave my boy a hard time," Mike said, a glare on his face. He was the same height as Tony and Tim, but with his deep, husky voice and piercing green eyes, he seemed like a giant.

"Dad," Tim said with embarrassment, "That was eight years ago, before I was even actually a part of this team."

Mike continued to stare at Tony, who couldn't find the strength to look away, "He doesn't give you a hard time anymore then?"

"Uh… no. He's fine."

"Mhm."

"Mom, dad, why don't you both come with me. We're gonna go to the conference room and I'll explain why you're here."

Carol smiled at Tony again as she passed by, "Once again, lovely meeting you."

Tony looked away from Mike, and smiled nervously at Carol, "Yes, you too."

Tony watched as Tim led his parents off. He noticed Mike limping a little bit, so Tony looked down at his legs, and even though he was wearing long pants, Tony could still see that he had a prosthetic leg.

Tony wondered how that happened, and why Tim never mentioned it… Then he wondered how the heck Tim survived with a dad like Mike. Tony shook off all of his "wonderings" and got back to work.

* * *

As Tim and his parents entered the conference room, Tim felt more and more like he was going to vomit.

"Please, sit down wherever you want."

"Did you get into some kind of trouble, Tim?" Mike asked, "Did you do somethin' illegal?"

_'Well, I did hide and contaminate evidence, so yeah.'_

"I- I am in trouble, but not like you're thinking."

They all three sat down.

Carol reached over and took Tim's hand in hers, "Whatever it is, Timothy, we're here for you. We're listening. Just tell us what's wrong."

Tim took a deep breath, "There's no easy way to say this, but…"

* * *

**I love writing for Tim's parents. It's fun to write about the parents when you have little information (from the show) to go on... That being said, I would love McGee's parents to be on the show. It's not fair that we've met all of the other agents dads, but not Tim's.**

**Anyway, I'm excited for the new NCIS tonight! I can't stand EJ, but I'm looking forward to everything else :) What about you guys?**

**Thanks for reading and reviewing!**


	13. Screwed Up

Mike shot up out of his chair, "What did you just say?" He asked in shock.

"Sarah was taken by the man that is after me," Tim repeated.

Carol stared down at the table. Tears began to escape her eyes, "My little girl," She whispered as she cried.

Tim stood and walked around the table. He sat down beside his mom, "Please, don't cry, Mom. We'll find her. The whole team is working extra hard, and none of us will go home until we find Sarah."

Carol shook her head. She stood up, "Excuse me," She said as she quickly left out of the room.

Tim stood up quickly, "I better go-"

"Let her be alone, Tim."

"Dad, she doesn't know her way around here. I can't just leave her-"

Mike stopped him, "Tim, you know she likes to be alone when she's upset."

"I know, I just…" Tim sat back down, sinking into the chair, "This is so screwed up, Dad."

"You've told me, and your mom, many times before that Gibbs is the best agent out there."

"He is."

"And Tony and Ziva?"

"Also the best. Dad, I know that we'll find her. It may take a while, but we'll find her. And as long as I do what this guy says, and I stick to his rules, then he won't… he won't-"

"Kill her," Mike finished.

Tim nodded, "Yeah."

Mike sat down in the chair next to Tim, "I don't like you being a part of this, Tim. You need to stay at the safe house with your mother and me."

"I can't, Dad. If I do that, he _will_ kill her."

Mike patted Tim on the shoulder, "I just want you to be safe… I want both of my kids to be safe." Tears formed in Mike's eyes, but the military side of him took over, as it always did in bad times, and he refused to let the tears fall.

Tim sighed, "I know."

* * *

"Guess who's here," Tony said as Ziva and Gibbs entered the bullpen.

"Who?" Ziva asked.

"Mama and Papa McGee."

Gibbs walked over to his desk, "When'd they get here?"

"Not too long ago. Tim's talkin' to them in the conference room."

Gibbs nodded and started to head in that direction.

Tony looked back to make sure Gibbs was gone, "Guess what their names are."

"Tony, I do not care-"

Tony smiled, "Mike and Carol."

"Is that supposed to mean something?"

His smiled faded into shock, "Mike and Carol! The Brady Bunch!"

"The Brady Bunch?"

"Seriously, Ziva? You've been here for almost seven years now. You don't know The Brady Bunch?"

"No, I do not."

Tony rolled his eyes, "Well, just keep me from referring to them, okay? It's going to be _really_ hard not making a joke about it."

Ziva stared at him, "You poor, poor thing."

* * *

Gibbs was headed to the conference room, although he wasn't sure why. He wasn't going to go inside because he already knew that Tim wanted to do this part alone.

He rounded a corner to see a woman standing there, gasping for breath as she cried.

He walked to her quickly, "Ma'am, what's the matter?"

She looked up at him for a moment, then looked back down at the floor, "My… My daughter is… missing."

Gibbs knew who it was right at that moment, "Sarah."

She looked back up at him, "How did… you know?"

"I'm Special Agent Gibbs, I work with your son."

Through her tears, a small smile came across her face, "Agent Gibbs, Timothy has spoken of you so much… and so highly. He really looks up to you."

Gibbs smiled, but it quickly faded, "Would you like to have a seat somewhere, ma'am?"

She nodded and wiped the fallen tears from her cheeks, "That would be nice, thank you."

He walked her to the break room and pulled out her chair, then took a dollar out of his pocket and bought her a water out of the soda machine.

"Thank you, Agent Gibbs," She said as he sat the water down beside her.

"You can call me Jethro."

"Alright. And you can call me Carol."

He nodded, "I want you to know we're doing everything we can to find your daughter. I work with the best agents out there, including your son. We'll find her."

"I believe you, Jethro… It's just hard to know that she's out there," Carol began to cry again, "She's scared, and she's being hurt."

"I know it's hard to think about. I'd tell you it'll get easier, but it won't. Not until she's back with you."

Carol composed herself and wiped the tears away. Just then, Tim and Mike came walking into the room.

"Boss," Tim said, surprised to see Gibbs with his mom, "I see you've met my mom."

Gibbs stood up, "Yeah, I have. This your dad?"

"Yes. Gibbs, this is Mike. Mike, this is Gibbs."

"Good to meet you, Mr. McGee. Just wish it was under better circumstances."

"Just Mike. Good to meet you too, Gibbs. Tim talks about you a lot. Says you can be a real pain in the butt sometimes… but he likes ya."

Tim closed his eyes in embarrassment as Gibbs smiled.

"We better be getting you two to the safe house. I have three agents waiting downstairs to drive you there. They'll be taking shifts, watching the place."

Mike groaned, "Gonna be like prison."

"It's for your own protection, Dad."

"I know what it's for… doesn't mean I have to like it."

"I wouldn't like it either," Gibbs agreed, "But hopefully it won't last long… Do you two mind if I talk to Tim for a minute, alone? If you want, you can go down to Tim's desk. Tony and Ziva should be there, I'm sure they'd like to talk to you."

Mike nodded, and Carol stood up. Mike put his arm around her, and they walked out of the room.

"How'd they take it?"

"Like they've always taken bad news. Dad starts out upset, then hides his emotions to the point where you'd start to think nothing was wrong in the first place. Mom cries, worries, and thinks of the worst possible things that could happen."

"This'll be hard for them, but they seem like good people, McGee."

Tim nodded, "They are… and they're both strong. With dad being in the Navy as long as he was, they both always _had_ to be strong."

"Well, let's go. It's time for me to start bein' a pain in your butt again."

Tim cringed and followed Gibbs out.

* * *

When they reached the bullpen, Ziva and Tony were talking to Tim's parents. Tony sticking closer to Carol, and keeping his distance from Mike.

"Ready to go?" Tim asked.

"Yeah," Mike replied, "Just meeting your other partner… Where's that girl of yours, Tim?"

"What girl?" Tim asked.

"You know, the one you talk about every time you call… What's her name-"

"Dad, it's time to go," Tim interrupted, now knowing who he was talking about.

"Abby!" Mike exclaimed, "Your girl, Abby."

Tim noticed the smirk on Tony's face, Ziva's attempt to hold back a smile, and he could feel Gibbs' glare burning the back of his head.

"Dad, she's not my girl, let's go. I'll go downstairs with you two."

They began to leave the squad room when Tim's desk phone began to ring. "Hold on," He said as he walked to his desk to answer it.

"Agent McGee speaking."

"Hello, Timothy," The familiar voice replied, "How are you enjoying your time with your parents?"

* * *

**Okay, so, this is like the third time I've written something in a story, then it ends up on NCIS. In 'Buried' I wrote Tony saying "McAbby". Then, in last nights episode, what does he say? "McAbby." The writers are totally stealing from me! ;D lol **

**Anyway, let me know what you think about the chapter. I missed writing for Jack! ...Is that weird? I love writing for the bad guys. It seems to be the easiest part for me.**

**Oh, and thank you to _emdroberts_ for pointing out that Mike and Carol was the parents names on The Brady Bunch. I had completely forgotten about that when I decided on names for them.**


	14. Bat Figurines

Tim took a hold of his chair and slowly sat down. The whole team, plus his parents, where giving him a questioning look.

"Timothy, I asked you a question. It's not nice to not answer. How are you enjoying your time with your parents?"

"I wish..." He cleared his throat, "I wish they didn't have to be here."

"I'm sure you do, but I bet it's nice seeing them after so long."

Tim looked up at Gibbs, and Gibbs gave him a "Is that him?" look. Tim nodded.

Gibbs and the rest of the team hurried over to Tim's desk.

"Start running a trace," Gibbs whispered to Tony.

Tony nodded then ran to his desk and began the trace.

"Please, put me on speaker, Timothy," Jack said. And, even though Tim couldn't see him, he knew Jack was smiling.

Tim looked over at his parents. His mom was rubbing her hands together, a worried look growing on her face. His dad stood there with an arm around her, looking emotionless.

"Why?"

"Now's not the time for questions, Timothy, just do as I say."

"Okay." Tim put the phone on speaker, "It's on."

"Good. Hello, Agents Gibbs, DiNozzo, and David. It is nice to finally speak with all of you."

"We wanna talk to Sarah," Gibbs replied.

"I'm sorry, not right now. We wouldn't want Mike and Carol to have to hear their daughter crying would we?"

Ziva looked back and noticed that Carol looked like she was about to faint. Ziva quickly went to her desk and moved her chair over so she could sit down.

"What do you want?" Gibbs asked, "We can meet your demands-"

"I have no demands, Agent Gibbs. I simply want to play a game… a puzzle, if you will. Sarah is simply part of that puzzle. You all are. Timothy is the one who makes the puzzle complete. He is that final piece that gets put into place. Play the game right, and the puzzle will be completed. Play it wrong, and I just might have to throw a piece away… I'd hate to have to do that… Timothy, take me off of speaker now."

Tim did as he was told and put the phone back up to his ear, "Okay."

"One moment please."

Tim covered the phone with his hand, "He put me on hold," He whispered to Gibbs.

"H- hello," A scared Sarah said a couple of seconds later.

Tim's eyes widened, "Sarah!"

Carol stood back up and both she and Mike moved closer to Tim's desk.

"Tim, when- when are you gonna get here?" She asked. She sounded exhausted.

"I'm looking Sarah. I won't stop until I find you, I promise."

"I- I believe you."

"Good. Sarah, is he feeding you or giving you anything to drink?"

"Water and… and milkshakes."

"Okay, that's good." It wasn't good, Tim knew that, but it was better than getting nothing at all.

"Tim… I don't… I don't want to be here."

"I know you don't," Tim replied as he ran his fingers through his hair. He could feel tears coming to his eyes, but there was no way he was going to cry. "You won't be there much longer, I promise." He regretted that promise the second he spoke it. There was no way to know just how long she would be there.

"O- Okay."

"Aren't you glad I let you talk to your sister?" Jack asked, coming back on the phone.

"I'll be glad once you're dead," Tim replied, forgetting everyone around him.

The hatred in his voice surprised pretty much everyone. No matter how angry Tim got, they had never heard him speak like that before. Those few words made his team realize just how bad the situation was.

Jack laughed, "I'm sure that is true. Goodbye Timothy. I will talk to you later. Oh, and by the way, Abby has a beautiful apartment. I love her bat figurines, they are very _interesting_… Although I am sure you have already seen them, many times."

Jack hung up and Tim did the same.

"Anything on the trace?" Gibbs asked Tony.

"Not a thing."

"Abby's still in her lab, right?" Tim asked, his heart pounding.

Ziva shook her head, "No, she had to go home for a while. She has no hot water, so someone was going to come by and fix it this evening. Why?"

"Oh my God." Tim shot up out of his chair, jerked his desk drawer open, grabbed his gun, and ran for the elevator.

* * *

**I know, it's crazy, crazy, crazy short, but I didn't want to go any further. Plus, I haven't felt well so this took a lot longer to write than it normally takes me. It usually takes two hours for me to write a 1,500 word chapter, and this took about six hours.**

**Sorry it's so short, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway. Review and let me know :)**


	15. Breakdown

Tony and Ziva looked at Gibbs, clearly confused. "Grab your gear!" He yelled, doing the same as he said it.

They nodded and did as they were told, then ran to catch up to Tim, who was stepping onto the elevator.

"Mike and Carol, just stay there and an agent will be up to get you!" Gibbs yelled back at them.

The elevator was just about closed when Ziva stuck her hand in and they all got inside.

"What is going on, Tim?"

"He's at Abby's place," Tim replied as he pressed the '1' button repeatedly.

"Tim, stop pressing the button, we are already going down."

"Not fast enough!" Tim exclaimed.

"Cool it!" Gibbs yelled, "How do you know he's there, McGee?"

"The last thing he said before he hung up. He said that he liked her apartment and he loves the bat figurines."

"Abby has bat figurines?" Tony asked.

"Yes, Tony, she does!" The elevator opened and Tim ran to the car. He opened the driver door and got inside, "Crap!" He yelled.

Gibbs got in beside him, "Forget these?" He asked as he threw Tim the keys.

"Thanks." Tim started the car, put it in reverse, and stepped on the gas.

"My God!" Tony exclaimed as he hurried to shut the car door, almost falling out. If it hadn't been for Ziva grabbing onto his shirt, he would have hit the pavement.

"Are you alright?" Ziva asked.

Tony took a moment to catch his breath, "Yeah, I'm good." He held onto the door handle as he watched Tim swerve around other cars, run through red lights, force cars off of the road, and curse at anything that got in his way… including an old woman walking her dog.

"You been taking lessons from Gibbs on the weekend, McManiac?"

"Almost there," Tim said, ignoring Tony.

They pulled into the apartment complex and parked in the open spot next to Abby's car. Tim got out first, without even turning the car off, and ran towards her apartment.

"He is insane," Ziva said to Tony as they, including Gibbs, followed behind.

"It's Abby, of course he is," He replied.

Tim was about to knock Abby's door down when Gibbs stopped him, "Hey!" He exclaimed, "Calm down! Why don't we try knocking first?"

Tim took a deep breath, then knocked.

No answer.

Gibbs knocked.

No answer.

Tim gave Gibbs a "Now can I smash the door in" look, and Gibbs nodded.

Tim took a step back, then with one kick, the door was open.

They all entered, guns up and ready to fire, if necessary.

Tony and Ziva looked in the living room and kitchen while Gibbs and Tim took the hallway.

Gibbs turned to the left, going into Abby's bedroom, and Tim went straight, to her bathroom.

The bathroom door was shut, but Tim turned the handle and it was unlocked. He threw the door open and Abby screamed, holding a blow dryer in her hand as a weapon.

All the other agents came running, and Tim sighed in relief, "Abby, you're okay."

"Tim! You scared me to death! What were you doing?" She looked past him to Gibbs, Tony, and Ziva, "What were _all_ of you doing?"

Tim wrapped his arms around her, giving her the biggest hug he could manage, "I thought he was here. I thought he had you," He said breathlessly.

Abby glanced at the others as she returned Tim's hug, a confused look on her face, "What are you talking about?" She asked, her voice was a lot calmer now.

Tim let her go, "He was here."

That's all he said before turning, and heading back towards the living room.

They followed him. "Tim, what are you doing?" Tony asked.

Tim began to pace back and forth, "He was here. He was here! He has my sister! And he's playing games with me! He wanted me to come here! He knew I would come here!"

Abby walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder so he'd stop pacing, "Tim, you need to calm down."

"Calm down? I can't calm down! What if he would have taken you too?" He began shaking his head, tears filling in his eyes, "I can't. I can't keep doing this! I can't!"

"Call Ducky. Get him down here, now," Gibbs whispered to Tony. Tony nodded and walked back down the hallway to make the phone call.

"Tim, I think you need to get some rest. Why don't you lay down?"

Tim laughed an almost frightening laugh, "I can't lay down! Sarah is somewhere out there and I can't sleep until she is back home! I promised my parents that we wouldn't stop looking."

"And we will not," Ziva replied, coming up beside him, "Tony, Gibbs and I will continue the search while you rest."

"No. No, no, no. I need…" His voice trailed off as he got lost in thought, but that only lasted a moment, "I need to keep you safe," He said, looking at Abby, "I need to keep you safe, and my parents safe, and," He looked over at Ziva, "And you too. And Tony, Gibbs, Ducky, Jimmy, and Sarah." He walked around Ziva and continued pacing, "I need to go to him. I need him to take me and… and he wants to kill me, so-"

"Whoa, whoa," Gibbs interrupted. He had kept quiet up until now, but he knew he couldn't do that any longer. He walked over to Tim and put an arm around his shoulder, "Come sit down on the couch, Tim."

"Huh? No, no I can't."

"Yes, you can, and you will," Gibbs replied as he led Tim to the couch.

Gibbs applied pressure to Tim's shoulders, gently forcing him to sit down. "You are not saying what I think you're saying, are you, McGee?" He asked.

The tears that had been filling in Tim's eyes began to fall, "But, if it'll keep everyone else alive, then… then maybe if I let him kill me-"

"No!" Abby exclaimed with wide eyes, "No, Tim! That's ridiculous!"

"But I can't keep doing this! I can't let everyone I love be in danger like this!"

Gibbs sat down beside Tim, and smacked the back of his head, "Look at me, McGee," He demanded.

Tim did as he was told, embarrassed by the tears that continued to fall.

"There is no way on this earth I'm going to let you even think something like that again! That man is not going to kill you! I don't care if you think that's the only way, it's not! This is what he wants. He wants to break you. He wants to make you crazy. Don't let him win, McGee."

Tim broke eye contact with Gibbs, rested his elbows on his legs, and put his head in his hands. He cried silently. The only way the rest of the team even knew he was crying was because of the little jerks he would make every once in a while.

Gibbs put his arm on Tim's back and looked around at the rest of the team. He hadn't heard Tony return, and he wondered how long he had been there. However long, there was a worried look on his, and everyone else's, faces.

* * *

When Ducky arrived, he gave Tim a little check up, then went into Abby's kitchen and began to make some hot tea for him.

Gibbs had Tony and Ziva return to work and continue the search.

While Abby stayed in the living room with Tim, Gibbs went into the kitchen to talk to Ducky.

"How is he?" Gibbs asked.

"Physically exhausted and emotionally drained, to say the least," Ducky replied with a sigh, "And I fear it will remain that way until all of this is over."

"He wanted to hand himself over to the freak, Duck. He wanted to just let the man kill him."

Ducky looked at Gibbs, clearly shocked, "Oh dear. I am sure you told him how that was not even an option."

"I did… I just hope he listened."

"Jethro, he had a breakdown from all the pressure he has been under lately… He has been going through this a lot longer than the rest of us. I mean, I just found out about it a few hours ago. It was inevitable that this would happen sometime... If he didn't listen to you, then you will just have to remind him again. However, right now all he is going to do is drink some hot tea and sleep for a while."

Ducky poured the tea, and then dropped a pill into it, "I hate doing this, but I fear there is no other way to get the boy to rest."

"Yeah, I know, Duck."

They walked into the living room where Tim was still sitting on the couch. He was no longer crying, just staring straight ahead, a blank expression on his face. Abby had her arm around him, but he didn't seem to notice.

"Here is some tea, Timothy."

"Not thirsty," He replied.

"Drink it anyway. It will make you feel better."

He took the cup from Ducky, but continued staring straight ahead, "I won't feel better… not until he's dead." He took a sip of the tea, then another.

Abby looked up at Gibbs, then to Ducky. They all three remained silent, but it was as though they had an entire conversation, about Tim, with their eyes.

Tim took a couple more sips and it wasn't long before his eyes started to close. He started to lose his grip on the cup, but Ducky grabbed it in time.

"I'm… tired," Tim said.

"Grab his arm, Abby," Gibbs said as he did the same. They helped him up to his feet.

"Let's go back to my room and you can sleep in my bed, okay Timmy?"

"Can't… sleep… not now."

"Ziva and Tony are looking for your sister right now. You can sleep. It's okay."

Tim looked confused, "I don't… like the… coffin," He said as they helped him back to Abby's room.

"You slept in it before," Abby replied.

Gibbs looked around Tim, to Abby.

Abby shrugged, "Well, he has… You already knew that."

"Didn't… know it… was… coffin."

She smiled slyly, "Not the first time."

Gibbs looked over at her again.

"Okay, _that_ you didn't know."

They got back to her bedroom and helped Tim into the coffin.

"Sleep, Tim," Gibbs said, but there was no point. The moment his head hit the pillow, he was out.

"I'm gonna stay in here with him," Abby said as Gibbs began to leave out of the room. She took a hold of Tim's hand and stared down at him.

"He won't be wakin' up for a while, Abbs."

"I know, I just… It's just-"

Gibbs walked over to her and put his arm around her, "It's hard to see him this way," He finished for her.

She nodded and tears filled her eyes.

"Come on, Abbs. Let's go sit out in the living room. We'll wait on him to wake back up, then we'll figure everything out."

"Okay," She said softly as she laid her head on Gibbs' shoulder and walked out of the room with him.

* * *

**This chapter was tough to write. Lots of people in one area. I don't like doing that, but it was necessary.**

**Hope I did okay :) Let me know!**


	16. I Met Him

"Tim's been asleep for almost eight hours now," Abby said as she looked at her watch, "Are you sure he's okay?"

"He's fine, Abby," Gibbs replied, "Ducky gave him a sleeping pill, remember? He's just getting sleep that he hasn't been getting in a while now… You should be sleeping too, Abbs. It's almost 4am."

She shook her head, "I can't sleep. I'm not tired." She got up off of her couch and began to pace, "He was in my house, Gibbs. That creep was here," She shivered, "That's so... creepy."

"I know, Abbs. But, it'll never happen again. He even gets near here, and he's dead."

"What did he say? Why did Tim think he was here right then?"

"McGee told me that he said he liked your apartment, and he loved your bat figurines."

Abby's eyes widened, "Oh my God."

"What?" Gibbs asked, standing up so he was eye level with her.

"The guy… He… he was here."

"I know, Abbs-"

"No, Gibbs! I met him!"

"What are you talking about?"

"He fixed my hot water, Gibbs! It was him."

"How do you know that, Abby?"

"Because, the guy who fixed my water, he told me that he liked my apartment, and loved the bat figurines! He said they were-"

"Interesting," Tim said at the same time as Abby.

They both looked over to where Tim was standing. He was leaning against the wall at the near end of the hallway.

"When did he leave?" Tim asked, an eerie calm to his voice.

Abby glanced at Gibbs, then looked back at Tim, "About five minutes before you got here."

"That means he was here when he made the phone call."

She thought for a moment, "He did go outside for a little bit. I didn't think anything of it, I figured he had to get something out of his van."

"I can't believe we missed him by five minutes," Tim said, shaking his head. He turned around and headed to the bathroom.

"Timmy," Abby called out to him. She started to follow him, but Gibbs grabbed her arm.

"Just let him be alone," He told her.

She sighed, "I hate this, Gibbs."

Gibbs pulled her into a hug, "I know, Abbs. We all do."

* * *

Tim and Abby were sitting in the conference room, waiting for everyone else to arrive to the meeting that Gibbs demanded they have.

Ducky entered the room and sat in the seat nearest to the door, "Hello, Abigail, Timothy. Did you rest well, young man?"

Tim stared at him for a moment before replying, "You drugged me."

Ducky sighed, "That I did. I was concerned for your health. You had not been resting properly since this all started, I assumed, so-"

"Don't worry, Ducky, I'm not mad. I already have enough going on to be angry at someone who cares."

Just then, Tony, Ziva and Jimmy came walking into the room, followed by Gibbs, who shut the door behind him.

"What's this about, Boss?" Tony asked as Gibbs walked up to the head of the table.

"This guy-"

"Jack," Tim interrupted.

Usually Gibbs would head slap him for interrupting like that, but these were different circumstances. "_Jack_ wants Tim, that's obvious. But, he wants everyone that Tim cares about, too."

"We are pieces to the puzzle," Ziva added, remembering what Jack had said when he and Gibbs talked.

"Exactly. That's why all of us are being assigned two police escorts each. They won't go out with us in the field, but when we go home, they'll be there. Before any of you even _think_ of going inside of your house, they clear it first. Understood?"

Tony sighed, "Boss-"

"_Understood_?" Gibbs asked again, more demanding this time.

They all nodded and replied, "Understood."

"Good. Most of us won't be going home anytime soon anyway. Not until both Sarah and Jack are found. Tony, Ziva, you two have been working all night. Stay here, but find a place to get some sleep. Abby, you working on a sketch of Jack?"

She nodded, "Yeah, I'm halfway done."

"Go finish it, now."

She nodded again and left the room, as did Tony and Ziva.

"Mr. Palmer and I are going to return to work, Jethro. Let us know if we are needed."

"Okay, Duck."

Then, once again, it was just Tim and Gibbs.

"Boss?"

"Yeah, McGee?"

Tim looked down at the table, "I'm, uh… I shouldn't have freaked out like that earlier. I know you hate when people apologize, but… I'm sorry."

Gibbs sat down next to Tim, "Look at me, Tim."

Tim sighed and looked over at him.

"You have been carrying a big weight on your shoulders, and you've been doing it alone. You've been a lot stronger than ninety percent of people I know… Including me. Don't apologize for having feelings, McGee. You hear me?"

Tim nodded, "Yeah, I hear you," He replied, almost not believing what he heard come out of Gibbs' mouth.

"Okay. Now get out there and get to work."

"Yes, Boss."

* * *

Ziva and Tony walked outside, both in need of something to drink before going to sleep for a while.

"This has been… a lot to take in," Ziva began.

"That it has."

They both kept looking around them, now always having the feeling that they're being watched.

"I can not believe we did not see it before."

"See what?" Tony asked.

"McGee acting so… differently. I mean, you saw what happened at Abby's place. This is making him crazy, yet we all kept believing him when he said he was sick or had oblong neighbors."

Tony's eyebrows furrowed, "I'm not sure, but I think you mean _obnoxious_ neighbors, Zee."

"Well, either way, we should have realized it was more that that."

"I'm pretty sure Gibbs did."

"Then why did he not press until he got something out of McGee?"

"Because, he's Gibbs, Ziva. He knows when to press and when not to."

"Well, did _you_ suspect?"

"Sort of, but I had no idea it was _this_ bad," Tony replied, remembering when he saw Tim kick the bench after hanging up from a phone call.

Ziva shook her head, "I have a bad feeling about all of this."

"Yeah, you're not the only one," Tony said with a sigh as they reached the coffee cart that they went to every day.

"Hello, Tony, Ziva."

"Hey, Chuck. The usual, please."

"You got it. What about you, Ziva?"

"The same."

Chuck nodded and began fixing their coffee. Once it was all fixed, he handed it to them, and they gave him their money.

"Thanks, guys."

"Later."

"Goodbye, Chuck."

They began to walk off when Chuck called them back, "Oh, wait!"

They turned around as he walked around the cart, carrying a small package, "Can you guys give this to McGee? Someone left it by my cart this morning. I thought it was weird, but I didn't hear anything ticking so I figured I'd be safe with it until I got break."

"Yeah, we'll take it." Tony took the package from him and they went their separate ways.

"What do you think is in it?" Ziva asked.

"I don't know," Tony replied, "But I have a feeling it's not good."

* * *

**Cool thing: I'm watching the NCIS marathon on USA as I type this up... Trippy! lol It's the episode Escaped.**

**Side note: I'm hungry.**

**Yes, I have nothing better to say than that... I live such an interesting life, don't I?**

**Anyway, let me know what you think of the chapter :) Thanks in advance!**

**Oh, and is it just me, or does "kick the bench" sound like an idiom to you?**


	17. A Good Thing

"He just sat it outside?" Tim asked as he held onto the package.

"Chuck said it was just sittin' there when he got to his cart today," Tony replied.

"How did he know I'd even get it, then? What if someone had taken it?"

"He may have left it just before Chuck arrived," Ziva guessed, "He waited to see him get it, then left, without being noticed."

"Open it, McGee," Gibbs said, then he looked at Tony and Ziva, "I told you two to go get some sleep."

"Don't we need to see what's in the box, Boss?"

"You will, once you wake up. Now go!"

They both sighed and left to find somewhere to rest for a while.

Gibbs walked over to Tim's desk, where he was opening up the box.

First he pulled out a Polaroid picture. It was a old, rusty doorknob with a little bit of a white door in the picture as well. On the back was written '#4 of 8'.

The second thing inside was a lock of hair, tied with a white string. There was nothing there saying whose hair it was, but Tim knew it was Sarah's.

Next he pulled out a dead flower. "What do you think this means?" He asked as he handed it to Gibbs.

"Don't know. Could be a clue. Is that all that's in there?"

Tim looked in the package. There was one more Polaroid picture, turned upside down, "There's one more picture."

Gibbs walked around Tim's desk, so he could look at what the picture was from over Tim's shoulder.

Tim took the picture out of the box and turned it over. Sarah was lying on an old mattress. She was still clothed, but there were chains attached from her ankles and wrists, to hooks on the floor. Tim felt nauseous immediately.

Gibbs saw the paling look on Tim's face. He grabbed Tim's trash can and put it right under his head just in time. As Tim threw up into the trash can, Gibbs put a comforting hand on his back.

There wasn't much for him to throw up, as he hadn't had anything to eat or drink since Ducky's hot tea.

"You okay?" Gibbs asked once Tim had stopped gagging.

Tim nodded, breathing heavily.

Gibbs put his hands on Tim's shoulders and helped him to stand, "Come on," He said, putting all the stuff back into the box.

"Where are we going?" Tim asked, still trying to catch his breath.

"Rinse your mouth out, take this to Abby, and get you something to eat."

"I just… I just threw up, Boss. I'm not hungry."

"You haven't eaten in a long time, McGee. You're gonna eat. You hear me?"

Tim nodded and sighed, "Yes, Boss."

"Good. Let's go."

* * *

After a pit stop to the bathroom, they headed to the lab.

"Hey, Gibbs, Tim… Tim! Are you okay?" She realized how dumb the question was, only after she said it, "I mean, I know you aren't okay, but… you look… I mean…" She couldn't find the appropriate words.

"No, Abbs, I'm not," He replied, slightly amused by her attempts to not sound rude in her questioning.

"We need you to check all of this stuff, Abbs," Gibbs said, handing her the package.

"Is this from… him?"

Tim nodded, "Yeah, it is."

"I will check it as thoroughly as possible, I promise!"

"I know you will, Abbs."

Gibbs turned and headed back for the door, "Come on, Tim. Let us know when you have anything, Abby."

"Will do, Bossman."

Tim followed behind Gibbs, but stopped in the doorway, "Hold the elevator, Boss."

He turned back around to Abby, who was setting the package on the table and getting some gloves.

He took a few steps closer to her, "Abby?"

She looked up at him, "Yeah, Tim?"

"I know this is gonna sound weird, but… Can I have a hug?"

She smiled, "Of course you can, Timmy." She put the gloves down on the table and walked up to him, giving him one of her biggest hugs.

He let himself melt in the hug. Abby's hugs could always help him forget whatever problem he was having, even if for just a moment.

"Thank you," He said as the hug ended.

"Anytime."

* * *

Tim sat down in the break room while Gibbs went to the snack machine and got them something to eat.

A few seconds later he came walking over with Nutter Butters for Tim, and mini chocolate chip cookies for him.

Tim looked at him, surprised, "You know I love Nutter Butters?"

"Well, yeah, McGee. You mention them all the time."

Tim opened the bag, "Never thought you noticed."

"I _always_ notice, McGee."

Tim nodded in agreement, "Very true."

As Gibbs watched Tim eat, he could see the pain, anger, and sadness in Tim's eyes.

"What happened to your dad?" Gibbs asked, wanting to get his mind off of Sarah and Jack for a while.

"What do you mean?"

"His leg."

"Oh," Tim replied, "Right. I forget about that sometimes."

"Was he hurt while he was in the Navy?"

Tim shook his head, "No. He had already retired from the Navy when that happened. I was nineteen and away at MIT when-"

"Gibbs! Tim! Gibbs! Tim!" Abby's voice rang out as she ran into the break room. They both jumped up when they heard her calling their names. She took a deep breath, "I've been looking everywhere for you two!"

"What is it, Abby?" Gibbs asked.

"The pictures!" She looked at Tim, "The one is terrible, I'm so sorry-"

"Abby, the point," Gibbs said impatiently.

"Right. The numbered pictures. I had no idea where they were taken, or what it is-"

"This is helpful?"

"Stop interrupting, Gibbs! I put them into the computer, searching for anything looking similar to the photos. I got this." She handed over a photo of an old, small building with glassy green sides, a clear roof, and an old white door.

"What is it?" Tim asked.

"It's an old building where they used to keep rare plants and flowers for people to come and see. It has been abandoned for over twenty years-"

"Where is it?" Tim interrupted.

"In DC. Here," She handed him a piece of paper with directions to the building.

"I'll go get Tony and Ziva," Gibbs began, "McGee, go start up the car. I think Abby just found your sister."

* * *

**At this moment I am trying to teach my mother the basics of facebook... and she has had a facebook for six months now...**

**Anyway, let me know what you think of the chapter ;) I shall love you forever if you do!**

**Oh, and did anyone else thing of the song "Hey Ya" when they read the part about the Polaroid pictures? Cause I did.**


	18. Should Be

Gibbs made Tim switch seats with him in the parking lot when he saw how badly Tim was shaking. Now Gibbs was driving, swerving around cars, barely missing them, and making Tony feel like he was going to vomit.

"Can't you go faster, Boss?" Tim asked, trying not to sound like a jerk… It didn't work.

"Do you want to get to her, or do you want to die, McGee?" Gibbs replied calmly.

Tim sighed, "I want to get to her, but I…" His voice trailed off as he thought about the photo. He wondered how long ago it was taken. How much time had Jack with her since then? What if he was with her right now? What if they caught him too? Then all of this would be over.

"Almost there," Gibbs said, interrupting his thoughts.

Tim's heart, which was already beating rapidly, began to beat even faster.

They turned onto an old dirt road. Each bump they bounced over made the coffee Tony had drank not long ago come back up his throat.

"Try not to vomit, Tony," Ziva whispered to him, "McGee might kill you if he thinks you are focused on yourself."

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Tony replied, more as a reassurance to himself.

After riding down the road about a half mile, a building was becoming visible.

"That's it!" Tim yelled.

Gibbs pressed down harder on the gas pedal, and Tony's stomach continued to churn.

As they reached the building, before Gibbs had even had time to stop, Tim was unbuckling his seat belt. He threw his car door open and practically jumped out of the car.

Gibbs slammed on the breaks, and turned off the car as quickly as he could.

"He is going to get himself killed," Ziva said as they ran to catch up with Tim.

He stood at the door, gun drawn, waiting for Gibbs to give the go ahead.

Tony and Ziva took their positions on the right side of the door, Tim already at the left. Gibbs stood in front. He gave the signal for Tim to check the doorknob. He twisted it, and it was unlocked.

He stared at Gibbs, impatiently waiting for the nod.

After about three seconds, which felt like hours to Tim, Gibbs nodded. Tim jerked the door open. First Gibbs went in, then Tim.

The building was one big, open room with rows of tables going down it. Some of which still held old, dead flowers in cracked pots.

At the other end of the room, was Sarah. She was lying on the bed, jerking at the chains. There was duct tape over her mouth, stopping her from screaming. She was dirty and she had tears running down her face.

"Sarah!" Tim exclaimed as he ran over to her, forgetting protocol.

He knelt down beside her and gently ripped the tape off of her mouth, "Oh my God, are you okay? Are you okay?"

"You found me!" She cried out, almost in disbelief, "You found me!"

"Yeah, we did," He wrapped his arms around her, "It's okay. It's okay."

Tim realized she wasn't returning the hug… she couldn't. Her wrists were still chained, which prevented her from being able to make certain movements.

He stood up, "I need something to get these chains off," He said, looking around frantically, "And where are the paramedics?"

"They're on their way," Tony assured him.

"I found keys!" Ziva said, holding them up. She walked over and handed them to Tim. He turned back to Sarah and began to unchain her wrists, then her ankles.

Once he finished, he wrapped his arms around her again, and this time she returned the hug.

"I didn't mean anything I said to you on the phone that day," He began, "He made me say it all. He-"

"I know, I know," She interrupted as tears rolled down her face, "He told me. He told me… that he was going… to kill me if you didn't… say those things."

They continued to hug, unbothered, until Tim felt someone put a hand on his back, "Let's get her out of here, McGee," Gibbs said, "The paramedics are here and they can't fit a gurney in cause of all the tables."

Tim pulled back from the hug so he could look Sarah in the eyes, "Can you stand?"

She nodded, "Yeah."

He helped her to her feet and she swayed. Gibbs hurried to her other side, "We'll help you."

"Th- thank you."

They helped her outside and she got onto the gurney, "You're coming with me, aren't you, Tim?" She asked, tears still rolling down her face.

"Of course, I am. They're not going anywhere without me, okay?"

She nodded, "Okay."

The paramedics put her in the back of the ambulance and began to check over her. Gibbs, Ziva, and Tony walked over to Tim, who wouldn't step out of Sarah's view.

"Stay with her for as long as you need, McGee," Gibbs told him, "We're gonna post two agents outside of her hospital room at all times, then once she's released, she'll stay with your parents."

Tim nodded, "Okay… Boss, what about Jack?"

"We'll find him, McGee-"

Tim shook his head, "No, Boss. He knew we were coming."

"Tim, we barely knew we were coming," Tony said.

Tim sighed, "He knew, Boss. I know it."

"Don't worry about that right now, McGee. Just go be with your sister," Gibbs told him, "When we get Abby's finished sketch of the guy, I'll bring it to the hospital to see if Sarah identifies him as her kidnapper."

Tim took a deep breath and nodded, then got into the ambulance and sat down by his sister.

* * *

Tim sat beside Sarah while she lay sleeping in her hospital bed.

There was so much to think about, but right now he just felt exhausted.

Eight days. That's how long Sarah had been missing. Tim almost couldn't believe it. It felt like weeks… months even. He thought back to the day it all began… only thirteen days ago. Not even two weeks had fully passed yet.

Tim rubbed his tired eyes. Finding Sarah was good… no, it was _much more_ than good. It was a huge relief. One he'd have to make sure he thanked Abby for the next time he saw her. If it wasn't for her, Sarah would still be chained up, with no one coming to rescue her.

_'I should be happy,'_ Tim thought with a sigh, _'I'm glad we found Sarah, but… I should be happy...'_

The truth was, Tim _couldn't_ be happy, not until Jack was found.

* * *

**I officially have a sickness. I'm in the middle of writing two stories, then last night I get out a new notebook and begin writing another one! I finished the first chapter already (but no, I won't be posting until at least one of my other stories are finished). The new story is a lot different from what I'm doing now, and I hope I can pull it off... We shall see when that time comes, I suppose.**

**Until then, I hope you continue to enjoy this story. Please review!**


	19. Four Months

Four months passed by without a word from Jack. That meant, four months of searching for him, every lead turning into a dead end. Sarah agreed that the sketch Abby had made was Jack, but unfortunately that led nowhere.

After two months, Vance brought Gibbs into his office, telling him to put the case on the back burner and start working on Navy cases, like they were supposed to be doing in the first place. Gibbs quickly informed him that this was, and would be, _their_ case until this man was found.

Tim's parents were dealing with basically being prisoners, in very different ways. His dad was grumpy, a lot, and found ways to remind everyone around him just how much he hated being forced to live in seclusion. His mom tried to remain positive as much as possible, but every so often, when Tim would make his short visits, he could tell that all of this was taking its toll.

Sarah didn't really care. She suffered from a lot nightmares, so she mainly stayed up all night studying, then slept of the day. She felt better when she knew her parents were awake, ready to be at her side right when she needed them.

Tim spent every day, every waking moment, searching for Jack. His co-workers had to constantly remind him when he needed to stop and eat, take a break, and occasionally remind him that he hadn't gone to the bathroom in over twelve hours. To say he was obsessed would be the biggest understatement, _ever_. But, there was no getting his mind on something else. He was going to find Jack, no matter what it took.

* * *

"I'm really worried about him, Gibbs," Abby said as she and Gibbs stood near the doorway of the lab. She looked back to where he was, sitting at his stool in her lab, his eyes glued to the computer screen.

"How long has he been there?"

"Six hours now. Usually he'll listen to me when I tell him he needs to take a break, but he won't today. It's like he can't even hear me."

Gibbs sighed and handed Abby his cup of coffee, "I'll talk to him."

Gibbs walked over to Tim, and Abby stayed at the back of the room to watch.

"Tim."

No answer.

"Tim."

No answer.

"McGee!"

"Huh?" Tim said, not even flinching from Gibbs' yell.

"What are you doing?"

"Working on the case, Boss," He replied, not even looking away from the computer screen.

"Do you know how long you've been sitting there?"

Tim shrugged, "Like an hour."

"Try six." Gibbs took a hold of Tim's arm, "Come on, let's go."

Tim finally looked away from the screen, and to Gibbs, "What? No, I- I can't."

"Why? Do you have any new information."

"Well, no, but I might soon."

Gibbs pulled up on Tim's arm, making him stand, "Time for a break, McGee. Come on."

Tim jerked away, "No, Gibbs! I can't! I have to keep looking."

"No, McGee! I understand how badly you want to find this guy, but you can't let yourself waste away while you do it. You're worrying everyone that cares about you."

"I'm doing this _because_ of the people that care about me! You are all going to be in danger until I find out who Jack is, where he is, and who his partner is." Tim turned back to the computer and started typing away.

Gibbs took a deep breath and shook his head.

Abby gave him a worried look. She wanted to help but there was nothing she could do.

Gibbs walked around to where the computer was plugged in, and with one pull, he unplugged the it.

Tim cursed loudly, "What did you do that for?"

"For you," He grabbed Tim's arm and started pulling him out of the lab.

"Let me go!" Tim yelled, but Gibbs didn't bother to listen.

Abby moved out of the way and Gibbs left with Tim.

He held onto him until the elevator doors opened, then he had to practically push Tim inside.

"What are you doing?" Tim asked angrily.

The elevator doors closed and the elevator started to move, then Gibbs pushed the emergency off switch.

Standing only inches from Tim, Gibbs began, "Four months ago I told you I wasn't going to let you turn yourself over to that man. You were willing to die right then and there, and I told you no."

"I know what you said," Tim replied, rolling his eyes, "I'm here, so obviously I didn't do it."

Gibbs pointed at him, "No, you're wrong. You're doing it right now."

"That's ridiculous-"

"It's true, McGee! For the past for months you've gin up on living, just to find Jack-"

"So, what are you saying? You want me to just stop looking for him? I can't do that!"

"No, that's not what I'm saying! I'm saying that you need stop every once in a while and realize that you have a life. You have a family and you have friends, all who care about you, and all who are here to help you. You're not the only one looking for this guy, McGee. Tony, Ziva, Abby, me, Ducky, even Palmer! We're all looking."

"But you don't understand, Boss! This guy is after me! He _wants_ me!"

"Do_ you_ even understand, McGee? Cause I think you're more confused than the rest of us."

Tears formed in Tim's eyes, but he refused to let them fall. He was silent for a moment, then began to shake his head, "No. I don't get it. I don't understand why he took Sarah, or why he let us find her before he got past the forth picture clue. Why did he disappear? Is his game over?" He began to pace, "I mean, it can't be over, can it? He didn't accomplish anything-"

Gibbs took a hold of Tim's shoulders to stop him from pacing, "He's accomplishing it right now, McGee. This is part of his plan. He hasn't gone anywhere because he knows you are going crazy trying to find him."

Tim sighed, "I won't stop looking for him… ever."

"I don't expect you to. I do, however, expect you to continue your life _as_ you look for him. Go visit your family, go out with Tony, Ziva, and Abby. Do something besides work for a little while. Even if just for an hour. You hear me?"

At first Tim didn't reply.

"Hey, we're not leaving this elevator until you agree."

"I- I hear you, Boss."

"Good." Gibbs turned around and flipped the switch back, starting the elevator back up.

* * *

That night Tim took Gibbs' advice and went out with Abby and Tony. They went to a bar for a couple of hours and just sat and talked. Tim didn't drink. He didn't want anything to cloud his judgment, not while there was a man out there, hunting him.

Even though he didn't drink, he still had a good time. He, Tony, and Abby talked, joked, and relaxed. It was a nice break from the craziness that was going on around him.

At the end of the night, Tim dropped a slightly drunk Tony off at home, then took Abby back with him to his apartment.

That was something they did quite often. If they went out drinking, one would just stay at the others place. This time they were closer to Tim's, plus he was the sober one, so they went there.

Tim sat at his computer, playing a game, while Abby took a shower. She made him promise her that he wouldn't work on the case tonight, and he couldn't break that promise.

However, just because he wasn't working on it, didn't mean he wasn't thinking about it. That was all he was thinking about… that was all he ever thought about, even when he wasn't working on it. It was always in the back of his mind.

There was a knock on his door. He looked over at his door, then checked his watch. He wondered who would be coming over at eleven at night.

He walked to his door and looked out the peephole. It was his neighbor, Elle. She was an older woman, in her late sixties, and she was a night owl.

He opened his door, "Hey, Elle. How are you?"

She smiled, "I'm good, honey. How are you?"

"I'm fine," He lied, "Thanks."

"Well, I hope I'm not bothering you, but I heard you come home not long ago, so I figured you'd still be awake."

"No, you're not bothering me. Would you like to come in?"

"Oh, I better not. I just wanted to bring you this," She handed him a manila envelope, "When I got home earlier this evening I saw it at your door. I didn't want someone to take it, so I took it inside my house until you got home."

His heart was pounding now. _'It might not be from him. It might now be from him,'_ He repeated in his head.

"Thank you, Elle."

"You're welcome, honey. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." He closed the door and wiped the sweat off of his forehead.

Abby came out of Tim's bedroom, wearing his MIT t-shirt, just as Tim set the envelope on his kitchen counter.

"What's that?" Abby asked as she leaned over the kitchen bar.

Tim shook his head and shrugged, then opened the envelope. There was one single piece of paper inside. He pulled it out, and read. 'Have you missed me, Timothy? I'll bet you have. I haven't had to miss you though. I've been so close this whole time. I'm watching, Timothy. I'm always watching. I hope you're ready to continue the game. I know I am.'

Abby noticed that Tim was beginning to look like he was going to pass out, "What is it, Timmy?" She asked nervously.

Tim swallowed hard, "He's back."

* * *

**Not much to say in this A/N. I know, you all look forward to my a/n's don't you? lol Sorry to disappoint ;)**

**Let me know what you think :) Between this and my other story, I had over thirty reviews to read last night! It was soooo much fun! Thank you :)**


	20. The Test

Gibbs' cell phone began to ring. It was the one night that he actually went to bed before mid-night. He hadn't even gone down to his basement after work. He just came home, got a shower, and went to sleep… That's what made the ringing phone all the more annoying.

"Someone better be dead," He groaned as he answered.

"Boss, he's back."

The urgency in Tim's voice made Gibbs wake all the way up instantly. He sat up in bed, his legs hanging over the side, "What?"

"I just got a letter from him."

"From Jack?"

"Yeah."

"Gibbs! It's really creepy!" Abby said loudly, so he could hear.

"Is that Abby?" Gibbs asked.

"Yeah," Tim replied.

"What's she doin' at your place?"

Tim sighed, "Boss, he's back," He repeated, getting back on the important subject.

"What does the letter say?"

"'Have you missed me, Timothy? I bet you have. I haven't had to miss you though. I've been so close this whole time. I'm watching, Timothy. I'm always watching. I hope you're ready to continue the game. I know I am.'"

Gibbs sighed and rubbed his eyes, "Bring Abby, meet me at NCIS. We'll have her look for prints on the paper and envelope."

"Okay."

They both hung up.

"We gotta go to NCIS," Tim told Abby, "Gibbs wants you to run some tests."

Abby nodded, "Okay, let's go."

Tim grabbed his keys and headed for the door, then stopped when he saw Abby out of the corner of his eye.

"What is it, Tim?"

"Uh, you probably want to put on some pants first."

She looked down, "Oh! Right! Hang on."

Tim waited at the door, his mind racing,_ 'He's back. He wants to play again. What is he gonna do this time?'_

* * *

Gibbs had made it to work quicker than Abby and Tim, and he waited for them in the lab. He studied Abby's odd wardrobe for a moment. Tim's MIT t-shirt and her own black and white checkered pants… It was a very odd combination.

"Who gave this to you?" Gibbs asked Tim as Abby took the envelope and began checking for prints.

"My neighbor. She had picked it up for me earlier today… well, yesterday now, cause I wasn't home. She didn't want someone to take it… Boss, what do you think he's planning this time?"

Gibbs shook his head, "I don't know, Tim. But I do know that this is better than not hearing from him at all. As long as we have contact, there is a greater chance of finding him."

"There's also a greater chance that someone I care about is gonna get hurt, or killed."

* * *

"Okay, there was one set of prints, besides Tim's. It was from an Elle Je-"

"Jennings," Tim finished, "She's my neighbor. She teaches at a preschool, which is probably why her prints are in the system."

"That's all I got," Abby said sadly, "Sorry, McGee."

Tim shook his head, "Don't be. I didn't think we'd find anything anyways." Tim turned to Gibbs, "So, what do we do now? Just wait for him to contact me again, or what?"

"That's about all we can do. The letter shows that he wants to start contact with you again, so we shouldn't have to wait long." Gibbs saw the impatience in Tim's eyes, "Hey, they all mess up sometime. We'll get him."

"Yeah, I know, I've been told that…," Tim sighed, "For four months now."

* * *

They all went back home for the night, but none of them slept.

Gibbs worked in his basement. Tim stayed up, pacing back and forth, waiting for another call. And Abby laid awake in Tim's bed, listening to him pacing back and forth. She wanted to help him. To talk to him… something. But she could tell that he wanted to be alone.

* * *

It was nearing eight in the morning, and everyone was sitting at their desks. Tony and Ziva had been filled in on the new letter when they had arrived at work.

Now, they were just trying to fit all of this together. Trying to do whatever they could to find Jack… it wasn't going well.

The sound of Tim's desk phone ringing made all of the other agents look his way.

He took a deep breath and answered, "Hello."

"So good to hear your voice, Timothy," Jack replied. Tim could hear his smile through the phone, "It has been much too long. Tell me, how's your sister doing?"

"What do you want, Jack?" Tim replied angrily.

"I'm surprised at how quickly you all were able to piece the puzzle together to find her," He continued, ignoring Tim, "I'm sure it had a lot to do with that forensic scientist you adore so much. Abigail is a very smart, lovely lady. She was able to figure it all out with just half of the photos."

Tim didn't respond.

"Are you there, Timothy?" Jack asked calmly.

"Yupp."

"You aren't speaking."

"Nothing to say."

Jack laughed, "I understand. You want to get right to the point. I can do that… It saddens me some, yes. It has been so long since I've heard your voice… but I shall get right to the point, as you wish."

"Then get to it."

"There is an old parking garage on 3rd street."

"What about it?"

"I want you to go there… _alone_."

"Why?"

Jack sighed, "Because, if you don't, I will kill one of your teammates. I want you to be there at four o'clock, today. Don't be late, and don't bring company. Understand?"

Without waiting for an answer, Jack hung up.

"What did he say?" Ziva asked.

"He wants me to go to an old parking garage on 3rd street at four o'clock. He says if I don't come alone, he'll kill one of you."

"No way," Gibbs replied automatically.

"But, Boss-"

"No buts, McGee," Gibbs exclaimed as he made his way over to Tim's desk, "There's no way you are going anywhere alone."

"Boss is right, Probie. We'd be sending you off to your death."

"But-," Tim saw death glare Gibbs was giving him, "I mean, this could be our chance to catch him. He probably wants to meet me there."

"Then we all go," Gibbs replied.

Tim shook his head, "No. If he sees you all there, then one of you will end up dead. Everything Jack says, he means. Someone will die if he sees you all there."

"We can watch from a distance," Ziva suggested, "A place close enough to catch him if he comes, yet far enough so he can not see us until it is too late for him."

"Sounds good to me," Gibbs agreed.

"No," Tim replied, practically pleading with them, "It's too dangerous."

"Not as dangerous as you going out there alone."

"Then let me wear a earwig. You guys can stay a few streets away, and if I need you I'll tell you the magic words and then you can come."

Ziva shook her head, "Too risky."

"You've got two choices, McGee," Gibbs said to him, "Either we watch from a short distance, or you don't go at all."

Tim rubbed his forehead, a headache coming on, "Fine. We'll do it your way," He replied, a bad feeling in his gut.

* * *

They got to the parking garage ten minutes before four. Gibbs set up in the east corner, Tony in the west, Ziva in the south, and a borrowed agent from another team, Parker, in the north. They could all watch Tim from where they were, and they were all ready to move in right when it was necessary.

They waited an hour… then two… then three. No one showed.

Tim headed back to his car. He had to park about a block away from the parking garage. No one could park inside of it anymore. It was all roped off, open only to kids who dared to be caught trespassing… or for meeting with a kidnapper/stalker of course.

He was on the phone with Tony when he reached his car. He saw something against the windshield. It was another manila envelope.

Tim froze, "Oh God."

"What is it, McGee?" Tony asked.

"He was here."

"What?"

"He was here, Tony. He left another envelope on my car."

"I'm on my way to you now. What's in it?"

Tim grabbed the envelope and opened it. Inside was four pictures. One of Ziva, in her hidden spot, south of Tim's position. Then one of Tony, Gibbs, and Parker, all in their "hidden" places.

Tim turned one of the pictures over, and it read, 'You failed the test. One will die.'

* * *

**Is anyone else freaking out by all the spoilers we are getting for NCIS? There are so many, yet they aren't in enough detail! It's making me nervous! Very, very, nervous.**

**In other news, I went to my nephew's Easter program today at his preschool and I can honestly say, he was the coolest bunny rabbit around. haha!**

**Well, let me know what you thought of the chapter, please and thank you :)**


	21. Kill

"I shouldn't have let you all go," Tim said, shaking his head as he sat at his desk.

"You didn't have a choice, McGee," Gibbs replied, "Plus, he's not gonna kill us… He's not gonna have the chance."

"He'll find a way. I know he will."

"McGee, do you doubt us _this_ much?" Tony asked, very seriously, "I mean, I know we all goof off like ninety percent of the time… well, except for you, Boss… but there's no denying that we're _really_ good agents… I'm not saying that to put myself on a pedestal, like usual, but I mean it. We're really good at our jobs."

Tim stood up to Tony, "I know that, Tony! But I also know how good he is too. He knows what he's doing, and we're not perfect at our jobs! None of us are-"

"McGee," Gibbs interrupted before Tim had the chance to bury himself in a very deep hole, "He can't get to us as long as we're in this building," He sighed, "So, from now on, no one leaves the building."

"What?" The three younger agents all said at once.

"You heard me. None of us leaves. You can have an agent go to your place and pick some stuff up for you."

"What about Abby, Ducky, and Palmer?" Tim asked, "They're not in the clear either. He said he'd kill one of my teammates, and they're part of our team."

"Then they don't leave either."

"Great… slumber party…" Tony mumbled, no happiness in his voice.

* * *

_Four days later…_

"Tony! You spray that cologne one more time and I will kill you!" Ziva yelled from her desk.

It was four in the morning. Usually they would all be sleeping right now… but with Gibbs around, that wasn't happening. He had been up for at least half an hour, after going to bed at 1am. It seemed that sleep was not something he needed.

Tony glared at her, and sprayed the cologne once more.

She stood up, slamming her hands on her desk, and began to head towards him.

"Whoa!" Tim exclaimed, getting in-between them, "Ziva, don't kill him. Too much paperwork," He turned to Tony, "Tony, you smell disgusting, do yourself a favor and go take a shower."

"I am sick and tired of sleeping on the floor," Tony mumbled as he grabbed some clothes from behind his desk, "And waking up on the floor, and waking up to her," He continued, throwing his arm up towards Ziva, "And having to…" He kept mumbling as he walked off, out of listening distance.

Ziva took a deep breath, "I am going to the break room," She said, then grabbed a dollar off of her desk, and left.

Tim rubbed his eyes and walked back to his desk and sat down. He rested his elbows on his desk, and laid his head in his hands.

"You okay?" He heard a familiar, soothing voice ask after a minute had passed.

He looked up and smiled slightly, "Hey Abbs, why are you awake?"

She shrugged, "Had to pee. So, you okay?" She asked again.

He sighed, "Not really. How are you doing with all of this?"

"Having you, Tony, Ziva, Ducky, Gibbs, and Jimmy all here with me? This is like the best Christmas present ever! I mean, besides the fact it's not Christmas time and there's a freak wanting to kill one of us."

Tim laughed, "Yeah, that does put a slight damper on things, doesn't it?"

Abby nodded, "Yeah. How's it going up here? Tony and Ziva getting along?"

"They want to kill each other, and I want to kill them both. Gibbs is ready to kill us all. You know how it is."

She shook her head, "Not really. When I come up here, or when you guys come down to my lab, things get quiet."

"That's because no one wants to kill you… We all like you."

Abby smiled, "Good to know." She looked around, "So where is everyone now?"

"Tony's in the shower, Ziva's in the break room, no idea where Gibbs went, Ducky and Palmer are down in autopsy, probably still sleeping."

Abby could tell something was weighing on Tim's mind. She went to Gibbs' desk and pulled his chair over by Tim, then sat down, "What's the matter, Timmy?"

"What do you mean?"

She tilted her head and gave him an "I'm not an idiot" look, "I know when your brains going into overload mode. What's wrong?"

Tim sighed, "You could always read me like a book."

"Apparently not… I had no idea what you were going through _before_ you told us about Jack."

"Yeah, but you would have figured it out soon enough."

She leaned back in the chair, "Back to the point, Timmy. What's on your mind?"

"He can't kill one of you if we're all in here, all the time. And we can't stay like this forever. We're gonna have to go home eventually."

"Gibbs knows this isn't permanent," Abby replied.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you not know the Bossman at all, McGee? He's keeping us here, because Jack wants us, right?"

"Yeah."

"If Jack can't get to us, he's going to get frustrated. He'll do something stupid because he's angry, and he'll screw up, then you guys will catch him."

Tim thought for a moment, "I guess you're righ-"

He was cut off by the sound of his desk phone ringing. He cursed, then answered.

"Hello?"

"T- Tim?" A voice replied in a whisper, sounding scared.

"Sarah?"

"T- Tim, he's here."

He jumped up out of his seat, "What?"

"You have to come n-now. Hurry!"

He wedged the phone between his ear and shoulder, and began getting his gear out of his desk, "Okay, are you with mom and dad?"

"I'm with mom, but d- dad's not in here."

"What about the agents? Where are they?"

"I think th- they killed them."

"Who? Who killed who, Sarah?"

All this time Abby was giving him a "what's going on" look.

"Just hurry!"

"Okay, I'm coming. I'm coming! I have to hang up. I'll be right there."

He hung up and began to leave, "Abby, get the rest of the team! Tell them to meet me at the safehouse!" He yelled back as he headed for the elevator.

"What's going on, Tim?"

"Jack's there! Hurry, Abby!"

She nodded and ran off to look for the rest of the team as Tim got into the elevator and headed for the safehouse… alone.

* * *

**Little warning: I may not be updating tomorrow. I'm taking my nephew to a Easter egg hunt at my church, and then helping my sister and bro-in-law paint their new house for the rest of the day. I probably won't have time to write :( **

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Let me know.**


	22. Blood On His Hands

Tim entered the house, gun drawn, ready to fire. The door was already opened, so all he had to do was walk inside.

Two agents were lying on the ground. Tim bent down and felt for a pulse from each of them… Nothing. They were both dead.

His heart began beating even faster as he cleared the living room and kitchen area, then began walking down the hallway.

It was quiet… Too quiet.

He reached out to the first door on the right, Sarah's room. It was locked. _'Must be Sarah and Mom,'_ Tim thought.

Right now he needed to keep quiet, so whoever else may be there, _wouldn't_ know he was there.

He passed the door and walked to the bathroom, on the left side of the hallway. The door was already open so he looked inside and behind the shower curtain. All clear.

He came out of the bathroom and walked to the end of the hallway, where his parents room was at. The door was cracked. Tim counted to three, then swung it open.

What he saw made him feel sick instantly.

His dad was lying on the ground, a gunshot wound to his head.

Going into full agent mode, Tim ran over to his dad and knelt beside him. He felt his neck, checking for a pulse. He couldn't believe it. There was a light pulse. Barely there, but he was alive.

Tim pressed one hand against the wound, trying to stop the bleeding. Then, with his other hand, he reached in his pocket, jerked out his cell phone, and called 911.

* * *

After getting the news from Abby, the other three agents rushed to catch up with Tim.

When they got to the parking lot, they realized they were too late. He was already gone.

Gibbs cursed, multiple times, as they got into another car and headed for the safehouse.

When they got to the house, they did the same thing as Tim had done. Going to each area and clearing it, until they reached the back room.

Tim had just hung up from calling 911.

He sat there, hands covered in blood, still pressing against the wound, "Come on, Dad. Come on. You can make it," He kept repeating. He didn't even notice that they had come in the room.

"McGee, what happened?" Gibbs asked as he, Tony, And Ziva rushed over to help.

Tim looked up, shaking his head, feeling breathless, "I don't know. I found him lying here when I got to the house. He's just barely got a pulse."

"Here, let me take over," Gibbs suggested, not wanting Tim to see his father like this.

"No!" Tim replied quickly, "No. You need to get my sister and mom. I think they locked themselves in the other room."

No one moved.

Tim looked up at Tony and Ziva, "Go!" He shouted.

They glanced at each other then left to make sure both Sarah and Carol were okay.

Tony knocked on the door, "Mrs. McGee? Sarah? It's Special Agents Anthony DiNozzo and Ziva David. Are you in there?"

There was no reply. Ziva was about to knock the door in when it slowly unlocked and opened, revealing a crying Sarah, and a shocked looking Carol.

"He was hear," Sarah cried, " And I- I heard gunshots. What happened?"

"Come with us," Ziva said as she put a hand on Sarah's back and led them outside. The last thing they needed to see was Mike bleeding to death right now.

Ziva nodded at Tony, silently telling him that she'd stay with them while he went back inside.

In the distance, an ambulance could be heard.

Ziva put Carol and Sarah in the back of the car so they'd be safe. Then she got inside as well, so she could tell them what was going on.

Tony ran back into the house, "Ambulance is almost here!" He called out as he ran to the bedroom.

Tim seemed to be in his own world. He was looking down at his dad, his hands still pressed against the wound, repeating, "You're gonna be okay. You're gonna be fine, Dad. Just hang on. Just hang on."

Gibbs sat beside him, every few seconds he'd check for a pulse. Each time the pulse was weaker than the time before.

Gibbs looked up at Tony and shook his head. This didn't look good. Not at all.

There was an eerie calm to Tim's voice as he spoke to his father. You'd almost think he was having a normal conversation with someone.

The paramedics rushed into the room, pushing Tony out of the way.

"Tim, you have to let go," Gibbs said.

Tim didn't move.

Gibbs grabbed Tim's hands, "Tim, let go!" He exclaimed, then had to pry Tim's hands off of his father.

* * *

Tim sat in the hospital waiting room alone. His mom and sister had been put in a private room.

He was holding a white rag, trying to wipe all of the blood off of his hands. He had washed them so many times, but it just never seemed to be enough.

He sat leaned over, with his elbows resting on his legs, just staring at his hands as he wiped them with the rag.

He had been alone for a while now. He had cried. He had thrown a fit. He had cursed. He had hit things. And he had cried some more.

Now, he felt nothing. No emotion. Nothing.

Gibbs walked into the waiting room, along with Tony and Ziva. Gibbs sat down beside Tim, but Tony and Ziva remained standing.

"Have you heard anything?" Gibbs asked.

Tim nodded, his eyes never straying from his still bloody hands.

"Is he still in surgery?"

Tim shook his head.

"Already out?"

Again, Tim shook his head, "Never made it in," He said quietly and calmly, "He's dead."

* * *

**Is it wrong to say Happy Easter after ending the chapter this way? It kinda seems wrong... Oh well, Happy Easter anyway! Hope you all have a great one.**

**I wrote this last night after being on my feet for a good nine hours straight, possibly longer. I also smelled paint fumes for about eight of those nine hours, and the other hour I was out in the hot sun looking for Easter eggs with my nephew, so that may be how this chapter came to be... Who knows? haha**

**Let me know what you think :) Thank you!**


	23. Gone

No one knew what to think. Tony and Ziva stood there, shocked looks on their faces. Gibbs wasn't even sure he heard right. Tim's voice was so calm… He had to have misheard something.

"What?" Gibbs asked after a moment.

"My dad is dead," Tim repeated slowly.

Gibbs rubbed his forehead, then leaned over to match Tim's posture, "Oh, Tim, I… I'm so sorry."

"Rule six."

Gibbs glanced up at Tony and Ziva. They still looked shocked, but now they were more worried for Tim's state of mind. Who would care about rules right after finding out their parent is dead?

Gibbs put a hand on Tim's back, "Is there anything we can do? Anything you need?"

The moment Gibbs touched Tim, Ziva saw anger fill in Tim's eyes.

"Don't touch me," Tim mumbled.

"What?" Gibbs asked.

"Don't touch me!" He said again, much louder.

Gibbs moved his hand back.

"Tim, are you okay?" Tony asked, not meaning for the question to sound so ridiculous.

Tim looked up at him, moving his eyes from his hands for the first time, "Are you serious?" He asked, fuming, "Yeah, Tony, I'm great! My dad was shot in the head and he slowly bled out, facing a horrible, slow death. I'm just great!"

Gibbs could see that this was going to go south, fast, "McGee-"

Tim stood up, "Shut up!" He yelled, "Just shut up!"

Gibbs stood up to be at eye level with him, "Tim-"

"No! I'm not listening to you and your stupid apologies! It's your fault he's dead! _Yours!_ I told you that none of you should have come with me to that parking garage! If you would have just listened to me, and trusted me, then he'd still be alive! Obviously I'm just the little, brain smart, yet field stupid agent! I bet if this was Tony or Ziva then you would have let them go alone!"

Gibbs knew, well, he hoped, that Tim didn't mean all he was saying. He was angry and he needed someone to take that anger out on.

"It's apparent that you don't trust me at all. If you did then you would have listened to me and done things _my_ way. I old you that I understood this man! I understood that he meant what he said, that someone would die if I came with anyone else. I told you that! You put a target on my parents and sister's backs! Then, after you saw that he'd taken pictures of you guys and threatened the team, you hid all of us! If you wouldn't have done that then he wouldn't have gone after my family and he wouldn't have killed my dad! Abby said you did it so he'd get frustrated and screw up. Is this what you had planned? Huh? Let him get frustrated and take out a family member? Did you _want_ him to kill my dad?"

Tony and Ziva were unsure of what to do. They were too stunned, by the way Tim was talking to Gibbs, to even move.

"Are you done?" Gibbs asked.

Tim shook his head, "No. A few months ago I told you that when this case was over you could fire me if you wanted to. You don't have to bother with that anymore. The second this case is over, I'm gone. I never want to have to look at any of your faces again."

Before anyone had a chance to reply, Tim stormed out of the waiting room and left.

"You… you don't think he was serious, do you, Boss?"

Gibbs didn't reply to Tony. He couldn't, because the truth was… he _knew_ Tim was serious.

"Ziva, find Sarah and Carol. Take them back to NCIS and ask them about what happened."

"Gibbs, they just found out that their father and husband is dead."

"And I'm tryin' to find whoever killed him, Ziva," Gibbs snapped, "Just do it," He added, then walked out of the hospital.

Ziva turned to Tony, "Who could possibly have such a grudge against McGee? I mean, the man killed his father for crying out loud! McGee is like a sweet, little lamb. He does not have enemies like this."

Tony sighed, "Apparently he does… And if we don't find this Jack guy soon, then this is just going to get even worse."

* * *

A few hours later, Ziva walked out of the conference room. She shut the door behind her, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. It had taken a long time to get Carol and Sarah calm enough to talk about what they remembered. Each time one would begin, the other, or both, would start to cry. It was a long, and very intense process, and it left Ziva feeling drained.

She walked out to the bullpen, where Gibbs, Tony, and Tim were seated at their desks. No one was speaking. Tim was typing, at what sounded like a thousand words a second. Tony was partially working on paperwork, but mostly glancing at Tim. And Gibbs was going over everything they knew about the case so far.

Gibbs looked up as Ziva reached her desk, "What'd they say?" He asked.

Ziva glanced over at Tim, who stopped typing and looked up once he saw Ziva had returned.

She cleared her throat and put her focus back on Gibbs, "Sarah was sitting in the living room, Mike was in the shower, and Carol was in the back room when they heard a gunshot. Agent Herdae came stumbling in, shot in the neck. He dropped to the ground right after he entered. Agent Ferdson ran to him and checked for a pulse, then hurried Sarah and Carol, who had run out of the back room, to Sarah's room and told them to shut and lock the door. Right after Sarah locked the door another gunshot was heard. Then, they both said that they heard two voices. Two men were speaking to each other, but they could not understand what was being said. The men passed their room and went to the back. They heard Mike and the two other men yelling, then one last gunshot. Sarah remembered her cell phone was in the room with them so she got it and that is when she called McGee."

"Where are they now?" Gibbs asked.

"Still in the conference room. They were both understandably upset when I left."

Gibbs nodded, then turned towards Tim, who was now standing and putting papers into a pile on his desk. "McGee, go be with your family for a while," He said calmly, hoping that being with them would help him grieve.

Tim shook his head, not looking up from the papers on his desk, "No, I can't," He picked up the large pile of papers, walked around his desk, and looked at Gibbs, "I'm going to work from home. I made copies of everything I'll need. If I get a phone call, I'll let you know. And, if you get any new information, you can call me. My report from today is on my desk. I was very thorough so there should be no problems." With that being said, Tim began to walk away.

Gibbs stood up, "McGee!" He called out, but there was no point. Tim wasn't going to listen to anything he said right now.

* * *

As Tim walked to his car he felt no emotion. No sadness for his father's death. No fear of the man who had killed him. No fear of the fact that he was being almost always being watched. No sadness for walking away from NCIS. He didn't care that, after the case was over, he'd never see the team again. He felt… nothing.

As he neared his car he heard someone running up behind him. He closed his eyes, hoping it wasn't who he thought it was…

She called out to him, out of breath from running to catch up, "Timmy!"

* * *

**UGH! I am getting old! Since helping my sister paint, my entire body has been killing me! My mom had to rub my feet and back because I was hurting so bad... Tile floors suck! I'm pretty sure I pulled a muscle in my back, and I can barely move my shoulder tonight... I officially know what it feels like to get old. haha**

**Anyway, tomorrow we get a promo for the new NCIS episode! I'm excited! I'm even more excited for the two episodes afterwards (and also extremely nervous).**

**Well, review and let me know what you think of the chapter :)**


	24. Phase Four

"Timmy, wait!"

He took a deep breath and turned around, "What is it, Abbs?"

She stopped as she reached him and tried to catch her breath, "I heard… about your dad. I'm so s-"

"Don't. Please, just don't talk about it."

She nodded, seeing the blank expression on his face, "Okay… Where are you going?"

"Home."

"Why?"

"To work."

"Why are you going home to work?"

Tim rolled his eyes. This was not a good time for so many questions, "Because, I can't work here Abby." He started to walk off, but she followed.

"But, you're coming back, right?"

"When there is new information on the case then, yes, I'll be back."

Tim opened up his car door and threw all of the papers onto the passenger seat.

"Tim!" Abby exclaimed as he was about to get into his car.

"What, Abby?"

"Don't cut us out… please."

"Abby, I…" Tim sighed, "I'll see ya sometime."

"Just… Just stay safe, okay?"

"I will, Abby. Bye." He got into his car and shut the door. Abby stood back so she'd be out of the way.

"Bye, Timmy."

* * *

_Two days later…_

Tim laid in bed, staring at his ceiling. It was a little past six in the morning. He had wanted to sleep in until at least seven, but that didn't work. He ended up waking at four and just lying there, not having the energy to actually get up and move.

His phone began to ring. Tim let out a deep breath, then reached over and grabbed his phone from his dresser. He hoped it wasn't Abby. She had been calling him a lot the past two days, but he just couldn't talk to her. Not right now.

He looked at the caller ID… Blocked.

His heart fell. He knew who it was, and now, he wished it would have been Abby.

He pressed the talk button and held the phone to his ear, but didn't speak.

"I hear you breathing, Timothy. I know you're there."

Tim closed his eyes tightly. _'The voice… The voice of the man that kill my… No! Don't think about that.'_

"Are you not going to speak to me, Timothy? That would make me very sad."

Tim swallowed hard, "What do you want now?" He asked.

"I want you, of course. That's what I've always wanted. I'm just having fun while I get there… I am sorry about your father, Timothy. That was something that unfortunately _had_ to happen. If you would have listened to me, then he would still be alive."

"You said you would kill a team member."

"Yes, I did say that. However you all hid from me, giving me no other choice. I had to show you that when I give you a task, I expect you to do it right, and do it my way. I think you have learned your lesson. Now it is time for phase four."

"What's phase four?"

"You find me."

"I've been trying to find you since this whole thing started!"

"No, no, no," Jack replied, "This is different. This time, you _will_ find me. Of that, I am sure. However, you will be the _only_ one to find me. The others will eventually figure it out, but not as soon as you do."

"What are you talking about?"

"You will see, Timothy. Everything will happen in its right time. Until then, I give you my condolences. Goodbye."

Jack hung up, as did Tim.

Suddenly, a wave of anger filled inside of Tim and he threw his phone across the room, cursing as he did so.

* * *

Two weeks passed by. The team had only heard from Tim twice, both times were just for him to tell them about phone calls he had received.

Abby tried calling him every day, and every day she was met with the sound of his answering machine or voicemail, depending on which phone she called.

* * *

Tony walked into the bullpen after being gone for lunch. He shook his head when he passed by Tim's desk, "This is so stupid," He mumbled.

"What is?"

Tony jumped. He had no idea Ziva was behind him. "Nothing," He replied.

"It is not nothing, you are talking about Tim, yes?"

Tony sighed, "He should be working on the case _here_, not at home."

"That is what is stupid?"

"It's stupid that he's blaming us for his dad being dead. We were doing our best to protect Tim. The guy said he'd kill a team member, not a family member."

"Do you mean to tell me you would not be angry if you were in Tim's position?"

Tony paused, "It doesn't make him right."

She shook her head, "No, that is true, it does not. However, he is in much pain right now. Pain that he is trying to hide, which we all know does not end well. He does not mean all that he says. He is angry. He will be back."

"Are you sure?"

Ziva looked over at his desk, then back at Tony, "No. But I am hopeful."

* * *

After two weeks of being "cut out", something which she clearly asked Tim not to do, Abby decided to make a trip out to his place. She was tired of calling, just to receive no answer. She knew this would be the only way to get to him.

It almost 9pm when she climbed up the stares that led to his apartment, then passed the row of doors, until she reached his door.

She knocked three times and waited.

No answer.

She sighed and knocked three more times.

No answer.

"Tim, it's Abby! I'm not leaving until I talk to you!"

No answer.

She shook her head and reached into her purse, pulling out her key to his apartment.

She opened the door, then closed and locked it behind her. She turned to face the apartment, and froze. It was a wreck. Nothing was in its place. She had never seen his place, or any place for that matter, in such a mess. Papers were spread out everywhere, books were scattered all over the floor.

She walked into the kitchen where energy drinks and pill bottles were everywhere.

She picked up one pill bottle after another, reading what each were for.

"Sleeping pills."

"Caffeine pills."

"Headache pills."

"Pills for the headache pills, so they don't hurt your stomach."

"Vitamins."

Out of all of those medications, one certain bottle surprised her the most, "Weight loss pills?"

She put down the bottle and turned to his fridge. She opened it to find it empty, except for energy drinks. Next she opened his freezer. There was some ice, but otherwise, it was empty.

She began to open cabinets. Empty. Empty. Two boxes of cereal. Empty. Empty.

"Abby!"

Abby jumped, then gasped at the sight of Tim. He looked like death, "Tim!"

"What are you doing here? I thought it was him."

Abby looked at Tim's hands, just noticing the gun.

"Well, it's not, so you can put that away."

Tim sighed and sat the gun down on the counter.

As Tim passed Abby to get to the fridge, she stared at him. He was wearing sweatpants, but no shirt. His hair was wet and it was obvious he had just gotten out of the shower.

He no longer looked like his old, healthy self. His stomach was sunken in to where you could see his rib bones protruding. There were dark circles under his eyes, and his skin was paler than ever before, making it look like even Abby had a tan when she stood next to him.

"Tim… What are you doing to yourself?" She asked as he reached in the fridge and pulled out an energy drink.

He looked at her, confused, "What are you talking about?"

"Have you not seen yourself? Tim, your place is a wreck, you look horrible, and you have no food in your house!"

"I have food."

"Two boxes of cereal is not _"having food"_, McGee." She walked over to all the pills on the counter, "And what's all this for? Are you taking all of these together? That can kill you, Tim!"

"I don't take _all_ of them together," He replied, keeping his voice eerily calm, especially since Abby was practically yelling at him, "I take the sleeping pills to sleep, then the caffeine ones during the day. The headache pills, and stomach pills, are only for when I have a headache. And the vitamins I take every day."

Abby picked up one of the bottles, "And what about the diet pills? Huh? You take these so you don't get hungry? So you don't have to eat?"

He grabbed them from her, "This isn't your business."

"Yes it is! It is completely my business!"

He walked out of the room and into the living room, where she followed close behind.

"Since when is my life your business?"

"Since we first met! You're my best friend, Tim, and I care about you! We've always told each other everything."

Tim rolled his eyes, "Not everything," He mumbled.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Abby sighed, "Tim, just talk to me. What's going on? Why are you doing this?" She asked as she motioned around the room, then at him.

"Doing what?"

"Are you serious?"

"Abby, you should leave."

"Oh please, like that's gonna happen."

Tim turned and began walking to his room, but Abby quickly moved passed him and blocked his way.

Tim took a deep breath, "Abby, just go," He said desperately, "I'm busy. I need to call my parents and see how they're doing at the safehouse."

"You need to what?" Abby asked, wondering if she'd heard him wrong.

"Call my parents."

"You mean your mom?"

"My mom and my dad."

Abby's heart sank, "Tim… your… your dad's- he's dead, Timmy."

He looked at her like she was crazy, "That's not funny, Abby."

"Tim, I… I think I need to go."

Abby walked around Tim and left, tears filling in her eyes.

As she walked to the parking lot she reached in her purse for her cell phone. She needed to call Gibbs. Someone had to help Tim, and it was clear that she couldn't do it alone.

She had just opened her phone when something hit her on the back of the head, and she fell to the ground.

* * *

**I meant to finish this yesterday, but I fell asleep instead... Sorry! But, here it is now :) Hope you guys liked it.**


	25. Dirty Walls

Abby's eyes fluttered open, but they didn't stay open long. She groaned as she tried to move her head. She had a terrible headache, and couldn't remember why she would have one.

Finally she found the strength to re-open her eyes. She had to blink a few times to get rid of the fuzziness. She looked around. She was lying on the floor of, what looked like, a bedroom. The walls were white and dirty. She pushed herself into a sitting position, holding herself up with her arms. There was a bed with an old comforter that looked like it hadn't been washed in twenty years. The comforter was halfway pulled back, revealing white, dingy sheets. Two pillows with light blue pillowcases were at the head of the bed. Nothing looked clean.

She looked down at the floor. Old, flat carpet. It probably used to be white, she guessed, but now it was a grayish color. It was clearly covered with dust and dirt.

She scrunched her face as the aching worsened in her head. She raised a hand to feel the back of her head. She couldn't feel any blood, nor was there any on her hand when she brought it back around and looked, but it hurt… bad.

She looked up above the bed where there was one, small window. There was a little bit of light shining through the window, letting her know that it was daytime.

She thought hard, trying to remember how she ended up… wherever she was.

Short memories flashed through her mind.

_Tim's apartment._

_Walking to his door._

_Using her key._

_Finding drugs._

_Tim looked terrible._

_Argument._

_"I need to call my parents… My mom _and_ my dad."_

_Walking out of Tim's apartment, crying._

_Getting out her phone to call Gibbs._

That was it. That's all she could remember. The rest was blank.

Abby took a deep breath, _'It's daytime now. They'll realize I'm missing and they'll find me. They'll find me soon,'_ She thought to herself, trying to remain calm.

* * *

"Good morning, Ziva," Tony said with a smile as he entered the bullpen.

"Good morning, Tony. You seem awfully chip-like today."

"_Chipper_," Tony corrected, "And I am. I'm not going to let the current situation pull me down anymore. Everything will work out just fine."

Ziva raised an eyebrow, "Okay?… You sound very unlike yourself. It is weird. I am not sure I like it."

Tony sat at his desk and glared at her, "It's either positive attitude, or depressive blob of lard, which do you prefer?"

"Positive attitude it is."

"That's what I thought."

Just then Gibbs came walking into the bullpen, coming from the back elevator.

"Good morning, Boss. How are y-"

"Where's Abby?" Gibbs interrupted.

"I, uh, I don't know. I just got here like two minutes ago."

"That's cause you're late. You should have been here half an hour ago."

Tony cringed, "Right… Traffic?"

"Nice try. Ziva, have you heard from Abby?"

She shook her head, "I have not. The last I heard was from last night. She told me that she wanted to check on Tim. He kept dodgeballing her and she was becoming frustrated."

"_Dodging_," Tony corrected her… for the second time in less than three minutes.

Ziva gave him a quick glare, "Whatever," She said, then turned her attention back to Gibbs, "I told her not to go. That it would be a waste of time, but she insisted. She probably slept with him."

Both Gibbs and Tony gave her an odd look.

"What? She went over there very late, is it not possible that she fell asleep at his place?"

Gibbs rolled his eyes and sighed, "Come on, both of you."

"Where are we going, Boss?" Tony asked as he and Ziva stood up.

"McGee's place."

Tony glanced at Ziva, "Is that a good idea?"

"You got a better one? I've called Abby three times, no answer. The last place she was at was McGee's, apparently."

Tony sighed, "To McGoo's house we go…"

* * *

As they pulled into Tim's apartment complex, Ziva pointed to Abby's car, "See, I told you she was probably still here."

Gibbs parked beside her car and they all got out.

Gibbs took a deep breath as he headed up to Tim's place, already regretting what he knew was to come.

When they reached Tim's door, Tony knocked.

Tim was sitting at his computer chair, staring at his computer screen. He was wearing the same sweatpants from the night before, but he had now put on a white t-shirt… It used to fit, but not it just hung on him loosely.

He got up slowly when he heard the knock on the door. He looked out the peephole to see Ziva, Gibbs, and Tony.

He immediately began to panic. He looked around at the mess.

Tony knocked again, "Let us in, McGee!"

_'The pills!'_ He thought, rushing over to find a place to hide them.

Gibbs gave Ziva the nod, and she quickly worked her magic, unlocking the door in record time.

Tim had barely had time to get half the pill bottles in his hands when they entered.

He froze, as did they, when their eyes met.

They all looked him up and down, noticing how his pants and t-shirt barely fit anymore. His scrawny arms. His sunken in eyes, and the dark circles underneath them. The pill bottles in his hands.

"Wh- What are you doing here?" He asked nervously.

"Abby," Gibbs replied.

"What?"

"Where's Abby?" Gibbs asked, his voice soft and… sad.

Tim shook his head, "I… I don't know what you're talking about."

"Her car's outside, Tim," Tony said, finally finding his voice.

"No. No, she left last night," He set the pill bottles back on the counter, scratched his head, and began to laugh, "She was acting weird. She… She said my dad was dead," He looked up at them, expecting them to laugh along with him.

"Tim-"

Gibbs held out his hand, stopping Ziva from going any further.

Gibbs took a step closer to Tim, "McGee, can you tell me when Abby left?"

Tim scratched his head again, looking down at the floor, seemingly in deep thought, "Um… It. It was night time. It was dark."

Gibbs nodded, "Okay. I'm gonna need you to come into work with us, McGee. Can you get dressed?"

Tim looked at him like he was crazy, "Of course, I can… Is.. Is Abby okay?"

"No… No, I don't think she is, Tim."

"Oh God… I'll be ready in five minutes." Tim walked passed them and headed to his room.

"Oh my God," Tony said in shock, both at Tim _and_ the fact that Abby was missing.

Gibbs walked over to the pill bottles, "Ziva, find me a bag somewhere."

"What are you going to do?" She asked as she began looking.

"Throw these out."

"Tim will not be happy about that."

"I don't care. He doesn't need them. Tony, go back down to Abby's car. Look everywhere, for any clues."

Tony nodded, "Boss… What about Tim? He's not… He's not right."

"Let me worry about that, okay? Go."

"Yes, Boss."

Tony left and Ziva found a bag under the kitchen sink. Gibbs put all the bottles into the bag, then tied it up, "Get rid of this before he comes back out."

"I will go downstairs and find the dumpster."

Now it was just Gibbs. He rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on.

He turned to the fridge and did the exact same thing that Abby had done the night before. He looked in the fridge, freezer, and the cabinets, searching for food. He was met with the same thing that Abby was met with… _Nothing._

He shook his head and walked out of the kitchen. The living room was scattered with photos and papers from the case, random books, empty energy drink cans, and empty pill bottles.

Now, on top of worrying about Tim's sanity, he had to worry about Abby disappearing… and, most likely, being in the hands of Jack.

* * *

Abby finally felt the strength to stand. She used the wall for support as she got up. She walked around the room, but their wasn't much to see. It wasn't a very big space. Just enough room for a bed, then possibly a dresser and nightstand, although those two things weren't in the room.

She turned the doorknob. Locked. Not that she was expecting it to be _un_locked.

Abby groaned again, the pain in her head returning. She walked back to the far corner of the room. She was just about to sit back down when the doorknob to the room turned.

Her heart began to pound.

The door opened revealing the man. The man who had been to her house. The man who had talked to her about he bat figurines. The one who she thought was harmless, only to later find that he was anything but...

He smiled, "Hello, Abigail. Welcome to the game."

* * *

**We surpassed the two hundred review mark! Thank you guys so much :) You will never know how much it means to me!**

**I'm glad you all liked the last chapter and I hope you enjoyed this one as well.**


	26. Wake Up Call

Abby stared at the man. Yes, she'd seen him before, but this time was different.

She didn't reply to him, unable to find her voice.

He stepped inside the room and closed the door behind him, "Do you remember me?" He asked.

Abby nodded.

"Good. I was hoping you would."

"You… you killed Tim's dad," Abby said, finally able to speak.

Jack nodded, "Yes, I did. And, as I told Timothy, that was something that had to happen. He didn't listen to me like he should have. If he would have listened, then his father wouldn't have had to die."

"What… what are you going to do to me?" Abby asked, afraid of the answer.

"Nothing… _yet_." Jack stepped closer to Abby, "You see, honey, what happens to you is up to Timothy. If he plays my game right, then you might just come out of this without a scratch."

"For some reason I don't believe you," Abby replied with a glare.

Jack smiled then, without another word, turned and left out of the room, locking the door behind him.

* * *

"Get in my car, Tim," Gibbs said when they reached the parking lot.

Tim nodded and did as he was told. He hadn't spoken a word since he went into his room to change.

Gibbs walked up to Tony and Ziva, who were looking in and around Abby's car, searching for any clues.

They both stopped looking around when Gibbs approached, knowing he had something to tell them, "Tony, call in another team to help you guys out with the search. I want everything lying in this parking lot picked up. I don't care if it's a rock, it get's bagged."

Tony nodded, "Understood, Boss."

"I'm taking McGee back to NCIS with me. We're gonna need his help."

"Gibbs, he does not seem in the correct mental state to be helping with the case," Ziva noted.

"I know. I'm gonna take care of that… He won't like it, but I'll take care of it."

"Yeah, I almost prefer angry McGee over," Tony held up his arm in the direction of the car where Tim was sitting, staring blankly out the window, "That."

Gibbs nodded once, "Report to me when you're through here."

"Will do, Boss."

Gibbs walked away, leaving Tony and Ziva to their work.

"What does Gibbs mean "He won't like it"?" Ziva asked.

Tony sighed, "Tim's in denial… Gibbs is about to give him a wake up call."

Ziva nodded in understanding, "Oh."

* * *

The ride to NCIS was a silent one. Tim never even moved his eyes from looking out the window.

Gibbs could see Tim's reflection in the window when he'd glance over at him, and Tim always had a blank stare on his face… Gibbs wasn't even sure if he was blinking.

"Come with me," Gibbs said as he walked past the bullpen.

"Where are we going?" Tim asked, finally speaking.

"Just come with me."

Gibbs took him to interrogation room three. It was different from the other rooms. The doors locked the second they closed, and you could only unlock them if you had a code… A code which had been changed in the last week, so Tim didn't know it.

"Sit. I'll be right back."

"Why?" Tim asked.

"Do you want to find Abby?" Gibbs questioned, knowing that'd be the only way to get him in the room.

Tim nodded, "Yes."

"Then get inside and sit down."

Tim did as he was told, and Gibbs shut the door. The sound of the door automatically locking made Tim nervous.

* * *

Gibbs returned a few minutes later holding a folder in his hand. He sat down across from Tim, laying the folder on the table.

"What's that?" Tim asked.

Gibbs shook his head, "Doesn't matter right now. Tell me about your dad, McGee."

"Why do you want to know abut my dad?"

Gibbs shrugged, "Just wondering. Where is he right now?"

"He's with my mom and sister at the safehouse. You already know this, Gibbs!"

"When was the last time you talked to your family?"

Tim thought for a moment, "A little over two weeks ago. I've been kind of busy, so I haven't had the chance."

"When was the last day you saw your family, Tim?" Gibbs asked, staring straight into Tim's eyes. He saw the look in Tim's face change when the question was asked.

He started rubbing his arm nervously, "I… I don't remember."

"Yes you do, McGee."

Tim stood up, pushing his chair back against the wall, "No, I don't!" He exclaimed, still rubbing his arm. He wouldn't look at Gibbs. He just stared at the floor, pacing back and forth, "I don't remember!"

"Sit down, Tim."

"Don't tell me what to do!"

Gibbs stood up, then walked around the table and pushed Tim's chair back to it's right spot. Then he grabbed Tim by his shoulders. Tim tried to jerk away, but Gibbs wouldn't let up.

He moved Tim right in front of the chair, and put pressure on his shoulders until he sat. "Stay there!" Gibbs demanded.

Before sitting back down in his own seat, Gibbs pulled a couple of photos from his back pocket, "I got these at your house while you were changing. They were on your desk," He said, showing Tim the old pictures of him and his dad, from when Tim was about ten.

"Those are mine," Tim said through gritted teeth.

"I know they are, and you can have them back in a little bit. But for right now, just look at them."

"I've been looking at them for weeks!"

"Why?"

Tim glared at Gibbs, "Just reminiscing."

"Just reminiscing," Gibbs repeated. He opened the folder he had in front of him. Tim looked to see what he was doing, but he couldn't tell what Gibbs had in the folder. Everything was upside down.

Gibbs lifted up a photo out of the folder. He looked at it, then turned it and laid it on the table, for Tim to see.

"What's that?" Tim asked.

"That's your dad's blood on the floor, in the safehouse."

Tim shook his head, "No."

Gibbs laid down another photo, "This is a picture that was taken of your hands, before you washed them off. They're covered in your dad's blood."

"No."

Another photo was laid out, "This is a close up photo of where the bullet entered your dad's head. It was taken at the emergency room."

"Stop."

"This is another photo of the bullet entrance."

"Stop!" Tim yelled.

Gibbs continued to ignore his pleas, "He died before they could do surgery. _You_ told me that, Tim."

"No! No I didn't!" He screamed, giving Gibbs a death glare, "He's alive! He's fine! Why are you doing this?"

Gibbs was hoping it wouldn't come this far. He pulled out the last photo. "This is a picture of your dad's corpse on the operating table," He said, laying the photo down right in front of Tim.

The picture was so gruesome. So disturbing.

Tim held his hands to his mouth and began to heave, "I'm gonna be sick," He said as he gagged.

Gibbs hurried up and got the garbage can that was in the corner of the room. He rushed it over to Tim, barely making it to him in time.

Gibbs laid a hand on Tim's back as he threw up into the garbage can.

Tim was not only vomiting, but crying as well.

Once Tim had thrown up all that was in his stomach, Gibbs put the bucket down, and knelt beside Tim.

"He's… dead," Tim whispered, tears pouring down his face, "He... was murdered."

"I know," Gibbs replied, pulling Tim into a hug, "I know."

Tim shook in Gibbs arms, hyperventilating, "He's… never… coming… back."

"I know. Let it out, McGee. Let it out."

"I'm… sorry."

"Don't be sorry, Tim."

"We have… to find… Abby. I… can't let… him take her… too."

"We'll find her, Tim. We'll find her."

Gibbs held Tim for another ten minutes, letting him cry as much as he needed. Gibbs knew what he did was harsh, and some might even consider it torture, but it got Tim back to where they needed him.

Now… they just had to find Abby.

* * *

**Random note: I don't know if I mentioned this before, but... I finished school! WOOT! I actually finished about five days ago :) I'm so excited! Now, if only I could skip right past graduation :P**

**UNrandom note: Thank you for the reviews! I love them with my Abby-sized heart ;)**

**Very random note: I'm about to eat fish sticks!**


	27. John

Abby waited for hours, wondering if Jack would return. She was becoming hungry, thirsty, and very impatient. She kept telling herself that now wasn't a good time to be worrying about food, but her stomach would always reply differently… roaring loudly, practically begging to be fed.

She went to the door and began banging on it. She wasn't sure why. There wasn't an ounce of her that wanted to see that jerk again, but she was sick of being stuck in that room.

"Open this door! Open up, _now_! Come on! I need some water!" She yelled, inwardly cursing at herself for possibly drawing him to her.

She kept pounding, then she heard, and felt, something pound back on the other side of the door. She stopped making noise as a voice yelled, "Shut up!"

She waited. Waited for any other noises. Waited for him to come barging in and kill her for being noisy.

"Get back from the door!"

She did as she was told, going to the far corner of the room.

The door unlocked, then opened, revealing another man. This man had dark hair and brown eyes. He was taller than Jack, and looked far more intense.

He held a tin cup in his hand, and he remained standing in the doorway. He and Abby stared at one another for what seemed like an hour, but was only about twenty seconds.

"You wanted some water?" He asked with a thick country accent.

"Y… y… yes."

He walked over to her and held out the cup for her to take.

She just stared at it.

"It ain't poison," He replied, knowing why she was hesitating.

"How do I know?"

He sighed, then took a sip of the water out of the cup, "See? Here, take it."

She reached out and took the cup. There was not one part of her that wanted to drink after that man, but she was terribly thirsty, so drink she did.

"Thank you," She said once she had finished.

"Mhm," Is all he replied, taking the empty cup from her.

Her stomach growled loudly. She held her hands over it quickly, trying to block out the sound, even though she knew it was pointless.

"You hungry?" He asked.

"No… No, I'm fine."

He eyed her, then turned and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

"Stupid stomach," She said as she leaned against the wall and slid down until she was sitting.

She figured she'd spend a few more hours alone, until she was dying of thirst again and resorted to banging on the door… _again_.

But instead, just a couple of minutes later, the door reopened. Abby looked up quickly to see the same man who had just brought her water. This time he had the same tin cup in his hand, plus something wrapped inside of a paper towel.

He walked over to her again and sat the cup down on the floor beside her, then the paper towel, "This is all we got right now," He said, then turned to walk out of the room. He stopped when he reached the doorway and looked back at her, "I'm John."

Abby nodded, "Abby."

"I know," He replied, then walked out, closing and locking the door behind him.

Abby picked up the paper towel and opened it up. There were two pieces of bread inside. It wasn't much, but it was something. She wondered why John acted so… so kind with her. She also wondered what part he had in all of this.

She made herself stop wondering and start eating, not knowing how long the _"kindness"_ would last.

* * *

John wasn't a smart man. He flunked out of school in the tenth grade, after failing twice. Not only did he lack school smarts, he lacked quite a bit of common sense.

His parents tried to raise him the best they could, but they were just poor, country farmers that didn't have the money to get him the help he needed.

He always felt like a recluse. Like some lousy, no good, piece of nothing.

When he turned eighteen he left home and started traveling on foot, or by hitchhiking, all over the country, getting odd jobs wherever he could.

He did that for fifteen years, then he met… _"Jack"_.

To say Jack changed his life would be a major understatement. Jack took him in and gave him a home. He taught John how to read and write, and even how to do basic math… Something that John could just never comprehend before.

Jack was a very smart man… a genius, some may say. To John, he was almost unreal. John looked up to him in every way. He did what Jack told him to do without questions.

Jack taught John how to fight and stand up for himself. John could beat a man for hours and never tire of it. He always won fights… _always_.

There was only one thing that Jack and John could never agree on: Women.

Jack could treat women like they were objects… _nothing_. He could beat them without caring, he could starve them, he could rape them, even kill them. John had never seen him do those things, but he knew, without a doubt, that Jack could and would do it without remorse.

John, on the other hand, just couldn't fathom the idea of hurting a woman. He always loved his mom. They were so close when he was young. They were best friends… She was his _only_ friend.

Jack tried to tell him that women were scum. They didn't deserve to be cared for, they deserved to be treated like trash. John had a hard time believing that. He had never hurt a woman, and never wanted to.

But, if Jack were to tell him to do it… to hurt a woman… He couldn't say no.

* * *

**Short chapter, and not very thrilling, I know. This wasn't how I was originally going to do the chapter, but I decided I wanted to tell everyone about John. We've only heard from him in chapter one, but otherwise we know nothing (until now ;D)**

**Let me know what you think!**


	28. To His Death

"We're not gonna get anything until he calls," Tim said, very annoyed at the lack of progress they had made, "He won't let us find her until _he_ wants us to."

"Well, we can't just sit around and do nothing until then," Tony replied.

"Really?" Tim replied sarcastically, "I had no idea that this team didn't wait around for answers!" He shook his head, "God, sometimes you are so stupid!"

Tony stood up to be eye level with Tim, "Hey! Chill! We're all wanting to find Abby, alright?"

"No duh!"

"Both of you, shut up!" Gibbs yelled as he walked over to them and smacked the back of their heads.

"Tony, go with Ziva and get us all some coffee." He looked at his watch. It was nearing three o'clock in the morning, "We're gonna need it," He added with a sigh.

Tony ended his glare match with Tim, grabbed his keys, and headed out of the building with Ziva.

Gibbs turned to Tim, "You have go to learn to calm down. I get that this case has everything to do with you, and you've got a major reason to wanna get this guy, but we're a team, McGee. We're all here, going through this together. We may not have the personal ties that you do, but that doesn't change anything. Got it?"

Tim looked down, embarrassed to look Gibbs in the eyes, and nodded, "Got it," He replied quietly.

* * *

Ziva could tell that Tony was angry as they headed to the car. She couldn't help but smile at the huffy look on his face. "I thought you said you would rather have the angry McGee back?" She reminded him.

"Yeah, well, I forgot how obnoxious the angry McGee was."

"Oh, Tony, you know he just wants to find Abby."

"We _all_ want to find Abby, Ziva."

Ziva stopped and grabbed Tony's arm, stopping him as well, "I know that, Tony. But that man did not kill our fathers, he killed Tim's. This is different for him then it is for us. No, he does not want to find her any more than we do, but his feelings about it are very different from ours."

Tony sighed, "I just want all of this to be over."

"As do I. As do we all."

They began walking again. "Do you think he's hurt her?" Tony asked.

She thought for a moment, then shook her head, "No. He has no reason to yet. He will want to wait, to drug this out as long as possible-"

"_Drag_," Tony corrected.

"Yes, drag. He will want to _drag_ this out as long as possible… to torture McGee."

"I'm pretty sure Tim's already been tortured enough," Tony replied sadly, then they got into the car and headed out to get coffee.

* * *

Abby was in the back corner of the room, curled up and leaning against the wall. She was trying hard to stay awake, but she was barely winning that battle.

Her eyes closed and, just as she was about to fall asleep, a door slammed loudly, causing her to jump and gasp.

She heard two men talking outside of the room. She figured it was John and Jack.

The talking quickly turned into yelling, and Abby wished she could understand what they were saying.

Suddenly the door flew open and a _very_ angry Jack came rushing in.

"She was hungry!" John yelled behind him, "I jus' gave her a little bit!"

Jack ignored him and charged at Abby.

Before she could do anything to defend herself, he grabbed her by the throat and pulled her up so she'd be standing, "You think you're special, don't you?" He growled through gritted teeth.

She shook her head the best she could as she tried to catch her breath. Her eyes were wide with fear.

"Answer me!" He yelled.

"N… no," She managed to choke out.

He let her go by slamming her back into the wall. She slid down it, coughing frantically.

Jack turned back to John, "From now on she doesn't get food or water unless I say so! Understand?"

John nodded, "Yeah… I'm sorry, F-"

"Shut up!" Jack ran his hands through his hair, "I need to make a phone call," He said as he walked past John and left out of the room.

John looked over at Abby, who was still trying to catch her breath, "You alright?" He asked in a low voice.

Not able to speak, she just nodded.

"Okay."

He left out of the room and closed the door behind him.

Abby sat there, breathing heavily as tears fell down her face.

* * *

Tony and Ziva came walking into the bullpen with four cups of coffee. Ziva gave Gibbs his, then took hers to her desk and sat down.

Tony sat one down on Tim's desk, then turned to go back to his own desk.

"Tony," Tim called out to him.

He turned back to Tim, "Yeah?"

"About earlier… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have acted like that."

"Don't apologize, Probie. If we can't take our anger out on our family, then who can we take it out on, right?"

Tim smiled, "Right… Thanks, Tony."

"No problem, kid."

Tony went to his desk and sat down just as Tim's phone rang.

Everyone's heads turned to his direction.

Tim took a deep breath and answered the phone, "Hello."

"Before you say anything to draw attention to this conversation, I want you to know that this discussion is for _us_ only. You involve the rest of the team, I kill your sweet Abigail, understand?"

Tim cleared his throat, "Yeah… I know I haven't been around in a while, Mom," He answered. The rest of the team sighed and returned back to work.

"Good job. Now, I am going to give you a number. It is up to you to figure out what it means. Got it?"

"Yes, Mom, I know."

"Okay, here it goes. 3830010790959. Did you get that?"

Tim wrote down the number as discreetly as possible. He kept looking up to make sure no one was watching him, "Yeah. Can I talk to Sarah for a minute?"

Jack paused. He knew what that question really meant. "Hmmm. I suppose that wouldn't hurt. One moment, please."

"Okay."

"Don't forget to tell your mother that you love her, Timothy," Jack said as he walked back to the room Abby was in.

Tim took a deep breath, vomit rising in his throat, "I love you too, Mom," He said quickly.

"Aw. How sweet." Jack walked into Abby's room, and she immediately tensed.

Without a word, he handed the phone to her.

She stared at him as she slowly took it, unsure of what he was doing.

She put the phone to her ear, "Hello."

Tim sighed in relief at the sound of her voice, "Hey, A-" He cut himself off then looked around quickly to make sure no one heard him, "Hey. How are you?"

She wiped the tears from her eyes and took a deep breath, "I'm fine, Timmy."

He could tell she was lying. "Really?"

"Tim, _don't_," She warned, "I know you, Timmy. Do not blame yourself for this, do you understand me?"

No answer.

"Tim! _Do you understand me_?"

"Yeah," He whispered, "Yeah, I understand."

"Good. You better."

Jack snatched the phone away from her, "That's enough… There, Timothy, you got to talk to her. Remember the numbers. Goodbye." Jack quickly hung up.

Tim knew he couldn't just hang up without saying goodbye to "Sarah", so he continued, even though no one was on the line, "I'll see you guys soon, okay? I gotta go… Love you too. Bye."

"Everything alright?" Ziva asked as Tim hung up the phone.

"Yeah. Everything's fine. Mom just wants me to come visit soon."

"You should go at lunch," Gibbs replied.

Tim's eyebrows raised, "What?"

"You haven't seen them in a long time. Go eat lunch with them at the new safehouse."

"But… what about Abby?"

"It's an hour, Tim," Gibbs said, staring at him, "Just an hour. The rest of us are all still gonna be here working."

"Um… okay, I guess."

* * *

Tim spent the rest of the morning trying to figure out what the numbers meant.

It was nearing lunch when he finally got it. It was latitude and longitude for a forest in Virginia.

There was one area in the forest that had cabins, and no one went this time of year. That had to be it! It was only about half an hour from NCIS.

He looked up, wanting to tell everyone what he had found… Then he remembered something._ "This discussion is only for us. You involve the rest of the team, I kill your sweet Abigail. Understand?"_

Tim's heart began to pound. He looked at his watch. It was time for him to take his lunch break. He quietly opened his top desk drawer and pulled out his gun. He placed it in the back pack he had at his desk, then he stood up, "Boss, I'm gonna go now."

Gibbs nodded, barely looking up at him, "'Kay."

Tim walked to the elevator, realizing he was probably walking to his death. He just hoped the team noticed he was missing... before it was too late.

* * *

**Sorry I didn't update yesterday! Things have been very hectic around these neck of the... circles. Yes, I live in a circle. Seriously, I do. I also have alligators in my backyard, like Abby :) lol**

**Enough about me... I hope you enjoyed the chapter. It had a little more to it than the last one did. Thanks for the reviews!**

**Oh, and now we know the first letter to "Jack's" name, thanks to John! haha**


	29. That Changed Everything

Tim went as far into the forest as he could in his car. then he parked in a small area about a mile from the cabins. He grabbed the back pack that he had set in the passenger seat, opened it and got out his gun. He checked to make sure it was fully loaded, although he already knew it was, then he set the backpack back down and got out of the car.

He locked his car, then threw his keys into the dirt underneath it. He didn't need anything extra to carry around with him on his "mission" to find Abby.

He slowly walked up the trail, taking note of every noise… and usually aiming his gun towards it… even though it was just wind, or an occasional small animal.

Tim stopped when the cabins came into view. He got in behind a tree and hid, looking around to see if he saw anyone… He didn't, so he continued.

His heart was beating so hard felt like it was going to jump out of his throat.

He neared the first cabin and listened, but heard no sound, so he moved on to the second cabin.

He kept going until he reached the next to the last one. At that moment the door to the _very last_ cabin swung open. Tim knew he had to move quick. He was an open target right now. He took a chance and turned the doorknob at the cabin he was in front of. It opened. Not having time to think of it as odd, Tim hurried inside. But, before he had the chance to even close the door back, he was struck on the side of his head, and he fell to the ground.

* * *

Gibbs looked at his watch. It has passed one hour, five minutes ago. His gut was churning. Tim wouldn't be late. Not even_ five_ minutes late. If anything, he'd be early.

Gibbs picked up the phone and called one of the agents that was protecting Sarah and Carol. If something was wrong, he didn't want to worry Tim's family.

"Hello."

"Agent Donner, it's Gibbs, is Tim there?"

"McGee?" Donner questioned, "No, I haven't seen him."

"Does that mean he's not there, or that you just haven't seen him, Agent Donner?" Gibbs asked impatiently.

"Uh, I haven't seen him. I'm watching out back right now. Would you like me to ask Agent Segal?"

"Yes… and hurry."

"Yes, sir."

He was on hold for a few seconds, then Agent Donner returned to the line, "Agent Gibbs?"

"Yeah, I'm here."

"McGee isn't here, sir."

Gibbs took a deep breath, "His family doesn't hear about this, understand?"

"Understood."

Gibbs hung up and cursed loudly, making an already curious Tony and Ziva, now a _nervous_ Tony and Ziva.

"What is it, Boss?" Tony asked, fearing the answer.

Gibbs stood up and cursed again, "Why didn't I make an agent go with him?"

"What are you talking about, Gibbs?" Ziva asked.

"I just let him go. I figured that Jack had Abby, so he wouldn't want Tim. I let McGee walk out of here, unescorted!"

"He's not with his family," Tony said. It wasn't a question.

"No, he's not!"

"Do you think Jack kidnapped him?" Ziva asked.

"I don't know!" Gibbs stormed out of the bullpen angrily, repeating, "I don't know."

* * *

Tim slowly woke up, laying sideways on the ground, with a horrible headache.

He instantly remembered where he was, and what had happened… Well, up to the point of entering the cabin. Then things went kind of blank.

Tim realized his hands were tied behind his back, and he could feel a blindfold around his head. _'Not good. Definitely not good. Tim, you idiot! Why would you go into a cabin, that hadn't been used in months, and yet the door was unlocked? You idiot!'_

Tim heard a noise and lost his train of thought. He scooted back as far as he could, which wasn't very far, then felt a wall behind him.

He stopped as the noise became louder and louder… closer and closer. It was a sort of knocking noise on the floor.

Tim became as still as possible, even holding his breath as the knocking approached him, stopping right in front of him.

He couldn't see, but he could feel someone staring at him.

Then, without any warning, that someone kicked him as hard as they could, right in the stomach.

Tim gasped and instantly curled his legs up, trying to block whoever it was from kicking him again. He held in a cough and a yell, not wanting to show any fear or pain.

Suddenly someone grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him until he was laying straight out on his side again.

Then, another kick. This time, Tim coughed, a lot. He also heard a cracking sound, along with much pain. _'Rib. Definitely have a broken rib,'_ He thought as he coughed, doubled over in pain. _'Okay, so the "show no pain" isn't going to work… but, I still have fear. Show no fear, McGee!'_ The last part sounded like Gibbs in his head.

"Do ya like pain, Tim?" A man with a thick, country voice asked him. He knew instantly that this was not the man he had been talking to for nearly six months now.

Tim coughed, "Does anyone?"

The man laughed, "My name's John. I'll be yer company for the next few hours."

"Oh joy," Tim replied, very sarcastically.

"You won't be sayin' that for long," John replied.

He quickly grabbed Tim by the shirt again and lifted him to his feet, causing Tim to gasp in pain. "Don't fall down," John warned. He pushed Tim back against the wall, then punched him in the face as hard as he could.

"Ah!" Tim yelled, instantly tasting blood in his mouth.

John didn't stop. He punched Tim three more times. Once on each eye, and another one on his cheek.

Tim clamped his mouth shut, trying to yell out as little as possible. The pain was horrible. Whoever this John was, he was a very strong guy.

Suddenly it all stopped. No more hitting. Tim thought it was over for now. That John would leave, let him rest, then come back later.

A swift knee-kick to the stomach ended those thoughts.

Tim doubled over in pain. For a moment he wasn't able to breathe in, and he feared he wouldn't be able to catch his breath again.

After trying a few times, he could finally take a breath again.

However, his legs felt like they were going to crumble underneath him. _"Don't fall down,"_ He remembered John saying just a few minutes earlier.

Although Tim's legs trembled, he remained standing… Until John kicked him in his right knee.

"Oh God!" He yelled as he fell to the ground. He landed on his knees, causing him even more pain, and making him fall over onto his side. Tim groaned through gritted teeth. The pain from his ribs, knee, and face was overwhelming. The fact that he couldn't see, and his hands were tied to his back, wasn't helpful at all. He was completely vulnerable to anything and everything.

Tim heard an angry growl come from John. The knocking sound, which Tim had decided were his shoes meeting the hard floor, returned as John walked away.

As he struggled to remain conscious he remembered the reason he was there, '_Abby. Have to survive to get to Abby,'_ He thought... And that changed everything.

* * *

**So, we'll be getting back to chapter one soon :) One more chapter and we should be there... We might even get there in the next chapter. Who knows?.. Oh wait, I should... Oops! ;)**

**Thank you guys so much for the wonderful reviews! Big Abby hugs for all of you! AND YAY! New episode tonight :) WOOT!**


	30. Jack

**This chapter features a revised version of the first chapter. Some things are a little different and a little more in detail that they were in chapter one :) Enjoy!**

* * *

_"Hey! Probie! Wake up! What are you doin', McSleepyhead? You know Gibbs doesn't let us sleep on the job!"_

_"McGee, it would probably be wise of you to wake up. Gibbs will rip your neck off if he sees you are sleeping."_

_"_Head,_ Ziva, head."_

_"McGee! What do you think you're doing? You are not at home, you're at work! Wake up, now!"_

Tim felt a smack to the back of his head and his eyes popped open… although he still couldn't see anything. And, as it turns out, the smack to the head was actually a kick to the back.

"Get up!" John said angrily as he grabbed Tim's arm and pulled him up.

Tim clinched his jaw, his whole body searing with pain, but he refused to make a sound.

Tim limped as John led him, forcefully, over to the center of the room, then pushed his arm down, "Sit."

Tim sat down, although not by choice. The pain in his ribs worsened, burning with every movement.

John got right in front of Tim's face, so close that Tim could feel, and smell, his breath, "Now, let's start again," John said, then punched Tim in the face, as hard as he could.

* * *

"He's been missing for almost four hours! Why do we know nothing?" Gibbs asked angrily.

"Boss, there's not much to go on. He got a phone call from his mom this morning, then he went to visit her and vanished."

"Phone call from his mom…" Gibbs repeated, then he turned to Ziva, "Ziva, call Tim's mom."

"What do I say to her?"

"Ask her if she called Tim. Tell her he got a call earlier today, but the line went dead or something."

She nodded, "On it."

Gibbs sighed, "I'll be right back," He said before heading to the elevator.

Once Gibbs got into the elevator, and the doors closed, he flipped the switch. He stood there for about a minute, becoming angrier and angrier with himself as each second passed. He lifted his arm and smacked himself on the back of the head, "You should've made someone go with him!" He yelled.

He took a deep breath, then exited the elevator.

Ziva was just hanging up the phone when Gibbs came back, "What'd she say?" He asked.

"She never called, Gibbs."

Gibbs shook his head and cursed loudly, "Tony, get on his computer and see the last things he looked up. He had to have some idea of where he was going."

Tony nodded and went to Tim's computer.

Gibbs stood in the middle of the bullpen, waiting for answers. He sighed angrily, "I tell you what, when we find McGee, _I'm_ gonna kill him!"

Tony glance at Ziva, both of them thinking the same thing, _'_If_ he's alive when we find him.'_

* * *

John drew back and hit Tim in the mouth once again.

"That all you got?" Tim asked with a sarcastic laugh.

"I wouldn't be talkin' that way if I were you," John replied.

Tim spit out some blood onto the floor, which he couldn't see because of the blindfold, "Why? Do I scare you?" There was a tone to his voice that was almost frightening. There was no fear, and no pain… The fact that he'd been tied to a chair for over two hours now, being punched and kicked repeatedly, made that fact all the more scary… He didn't seem to feel anything anymore. Perhaps it was a survival technique that he had forced himself to gain over the past two hours… He wasn't even sure.

John walked up even closer to him, his boots making that famous knocking sound that Tim had heard so much in such a little amount of time, "You got a death wish?"

Tim shrugged, "Can I have a minute to think about it?"

John laughed evilly, "That's funny. You got one heck of an attitude."

"That's what six months of hell on earth can do to a person."

"If you thought that was bad, you outta know what we got planned for you now."

"Can't wait. Why don't you tell me?"

"Not my place to."

Tim nodded, "Oh yes, I forgot that you're just the intern, the newbie… or the probie, if you will."

John curled his hand into a fist and punched Tim as hard as he could.

Tim grunted, spit out some more blood, then laughed, "That all you know how to do? Punch and kick? You need to become more original."

"You mean like this?" John walked in behind him, and wrapped his arm around Tim's neck, cutting off his ability to breathe.

Tim tried his hardest to suck in some air, but it was impossible. He was becoming unsure of whether it was dark because of the blindfold, or because he was losing consciousness.

"Get off of him!" Another man yelled a he entered the room.

John quickly released his grip, leaving Tim gasping for breath.

"He was testin' me!" John exclaimed, "Practically beggin' me to do it!"

"Sometimes you are so stupid, I swear."

Tim recognized this voice immediately. That was definitely the man he had named _"Jack"_ so long ago.

"Go into the other room," Jack continued.

John did as he was told and left the room.

The room was quiet. It remained that way for a couple of minutes. All that could be heard was the sound of someone walking back and forth, and… equipment?

"Sorry about him. He's a good worker, but he gets impatient sometimes and, well, we've been waiting for this moment for a while now."

"Congratulations."

* * *

John walked into the room Abby had been put in. He had been given his orders by Jack just a few hours earlier. He wanted to say no, but… how could he?

"Stand up and lay on the bed," John said.

"W- what?"

"You heard me."

Abby's heart began to pound, "Why?"

"Just do it!"

Abby nodded and stood up. She slowly walked over to the bed and laid down.

"Close your eyes," John said, then stepped out of the room for a second. He came back with ropes and a hankie in his hands.

He quickly grabbed one of Abby's arms and tied it to the bed.

Her eyes popped open and she began to yell, "Stop it! Stop!"

He ignored her, grabbed her other flailing arm, and tied it to the other side of the bed. Then he gagged her with the hankie, so she wouldn't make any more noise.

Abby continued to squirm on the bed as she began to cry, knowing and fearing what was coming.

John tied her legs down, the same as he had done with her arms, then left out of the room once more, returning with a video camera.

* * *

Jack walked up to Tim and slowly took the blindfold off. He smiled as Tim stared straight at him, seeing him for the first time, "It's nice to meet you face to face, Timothy McGee."

Tim spit out some blood, right into the man's face, "Nice to spit in your face, whatever your name is."

Jack remained calm. He wiped his face off with his sleeve, "That's not very nice, Timothy."

"Like I care, Jack."

"Oh you will… And I told you before, my name is not Jack."

"And I told you before, I don't give a fu-"

"Enough!" Jack moved over, revealing a TV on a small stand in front of Tim.

"We gonna have a date?" Tim asked, "I'm not really dressed for it."

Jack laughed, "You could call it a date… I know you love what you're gonna see."

"Nutter Butters?"

Jack shook his head, "Nope. Not even close." He walked up to the TV and pressed the on button. It was an old TV, so it took a while for the picture to come up on the screen.

When it did, Tim automatically felt like vomiting.

The sight of Abby lying on a bed, bound, gagged, and crying, with a man standing over her was a disturbing thing to see. Tim felt no relief from the fact that she and the man, which he figured was John, were still fully dressed, for he knew what was to come.

Jack walked in behind Tim, leaned over until he was right next to his ear, and whispered, "You see, first I'm gonna let him rape her, then I'm gonna let him kill her, however he wants to… all while you watch. Then, Timothy, I'm gonna kill you."

* * *

"I've got something!" Tony exclaimed.

Both Ziva and Gibbs rushed over to him.

"What?" Gibbs asked.

"He looked up cabins in Virginia. They're only a half hour from here."

Gibbs rushed over to his desk, "Grab your gear! Let's go!"

* * *

**Are they gonna get there in time? :O**

**Let me know what you think!**


	31. Oncoming Traffic

If there was one thing Tim couldn't let happen it was letting Abby be hurt in anyway. There was no way he could or would let John rape and kill her… He just needed to stall. Anything to stall for time.

"Wait," Tim said, his heart pounding.

"What?"

"You have to tell me why first. Why did you do all of this? Why me? What did I do to you?"

Jack walked back around to look at Tim in the eyes, "Why would I tell you those things, Timothy?"

"I think I deserve answers."

"Really?" Jack walked back and forth in the room, seemingly in deep thought.

After a moment he turned and smiled at Tim, "I tell you what. I'm sure you have a lot of questions for me. You just asked me three questions, and I will answer them, but _only_ those three… If you want, you can change a question, or you can change them all… Go ahead."

Tim swallowed the little bit of spit, and blood, that remained in his mouth. He thought for a moment, "Why me?"

"Because, Timothy, you are the black sheep, but not in the bad way. You stand out from your team."

Tim's eyebrows raised, "No I don't."

"Oh, but you do. See, you're not like the others. You don't have the fighting skills of Ziva, the street skills of Anthony, or the life experience of Gibbs."

"So I'm the weak, stupid, young one."

Jack shook his head, "No. You are the smart, technical one that no one would expect to have the courage to carry a gun."

The answer to this question wasn't helping Tim at all, so he decided to ask his second question, "Why did you do all of this?"

Jack grinned, "Oh, _that's_ the big question. Why did I do this? Why?…" He shrugged, "I wanted to."

"You wanted to," Tim repeated quietly, in disbelief.

"I've been thinking, for a while now, about something to make me… famous. This will do that. My name will be everywhere!" He said, laughing hysterically, "I'm a genius! I succeeded in stalking, blackmailing, kidnapping, and killing a federal agent. Also killing his dad, and the woman he loved and wanted to be with."

Tim felt rage rushing through him. That wasn't a good enough answer… Not that any answer would truly be good enough, but that answer didn't make any sense. He was targeted _just_ so some freak could be famous? _That's_ why his dad was killed?

"They're gonna talk about me for years," Jack continued happily.

_'Don't freak out. Don't freak out. Don't freak out,'_ Tim repeated to himself. Now was definitely not the time to go hysterical.

There was a moment of silence before Tim asked his last question. "What's your name?" He asked. He knew there were many other questions he could ask instead, but for some reason he felt he needed to know _that_.

Jack stopped walking back and forth and stared at Tim. He cocked his head to the side slightly, "That's your last question? Are you sure?"

Tim nodded, "Yes."

"Ferrell. Ferrell Landry."

Tim's eyebrow furrowed, "Ferrell?" He was expecting something more than Ferrell. Something that sounded tough… like _Jack_. Ferrell wasn't even close.

Ferrell glared at him, not liking the fact that Tim seemed appalled by the name. He walked over to Tim and grabbed him by the hair, "Are you making fun of me?"

"No," Tim replied through gritted teeth.

Ferrell released him with force, making Tim go forward and further hurt his already painful ribs.

Ferrell went over to the TV, which still showed Abby jerking around and John standing over her, and he moved it. "You're not gonna watch from in here," He said, then he went to Tim, grabbed his arm, and forced him to stand, "You're gonna watch in the room, with her. She's gonna be begging and crying out to you, pleading for you to make it stop. But, all you're gonna be able to do is stand there and stare."

* * *

It was starting to rain as Gibbs, Tony and Ziva sat idly in the car. They had gotten a fourth of the way to the cabins when they came upon a huge traffic jam, caused by a four car pileup about three miles ahead.

Gibbs cursed loudly as he banged his hands on the steering wheel, "How long have we been sittin' here?"

"About half of an hour," Ziva replied with a sigh.

"We shoulda been there by now."

"What are we supposed to do, Boss?" Tony asked, "Walk there? All the lanes are jammed."

Gibbs looked around, "No. We need over there," He said, pointing to the other side of the road.

Ziva looked confused, "Is that not the _opposite_ direction of where we need to go?"

"There's not too much traffic."

"Oh, Boss, you're not thinkin' what I think you're thinkin', are you?"

Ziva looked back to Tony, "What is he thinking, Tony?"

Gibbs rolled down Ziva's window and got out his badge. He motioned for the car beside him to roll down their window, "Get over to the side of the road!" He yelled, "I need to get through!"

The man nodded, noticing the badge, and moved over to the median as quickly as he could.

Tony held onto his seatbelt, "Boss! This is a bad idea!"

"What is?" Ziva asked, throwing her arms up.

Gibbs stepped on the gas, going through the next lane, into the median, then to the other side of the road… driving straight into oncoming traffic.

He swerved around each car as their horns blared. Tony closed his eyes, and Ziva's widened with shock.

Gibbs didn't care what he had to do to get there, he just knew he had to get to Tim… and fast.

* * *

As Tim and Ferrell walked to the other room, which was through a sitting room, past the front door, and down a hallway, Tim took short, calm breaths. He was about to do something that was going to hurt, badly, but he knew it had to be done.

When they reached the front door, Tim jerked away from Ferrell. He turned and tried to feel for the doorknob, his hands still tied behind him. But, of course, Ferrell got to him before he could get out. He punched Tim in the stomach, as hard as he could. Turns out, he could punch as hard, if not harder, than John. After Ferrell punched him, he kneed him in the same spot. Tim heard another crack… _definitely_ more than one broken rib now.

Tim let out a barely audible moan as he doubled over in pain.

Ferrell grabbed his arm, "Bet you'll never try that again," He said, a smirk on his face.

Tim couldn't reply. The pain was too bad,_ 'But it was necessary,'_ He thought to himself, _'It_ was _necessary.'_

Ferrell opened the door, which made Abby turn that way immediately. Her eyes widened and she stopped moving around when Tim came in.

"Take the gag off," Ferrell said to John.

John nodded and did as he was told.

Abby couldn't believe how bad Tim looked. His face was covered in fresh bruises, and there was dried and some fresh blood on his shirt… She was sure there was a lot more than that wrong with him as well.

"T- Tim," She said slowly.

"It's okay, Abby," He replied calmly, staring deeply into her eyes, "It's okay."

At first she thought he was talking about how he looked. That he was trying to reassure her that he was fine… but his eyes told her more than that.

"Are you sure?"

He nodded, "It's okay."

She couldn't seem to take her eyes off of his. They were saying so much more than he could say out loud. She nodded back at him in understanding, "Okay."

* * *

**Are you confused?... Good :)**

**Sorry I didn't update sooner. I went out Mother's Day shopping today with my sister.**

**So, last night I had an scary/awesome dream. Scary part: I was kidnapped... Awesome part: I was kidnapped... by McGee. It was so weird. He took me to this cabin and he wanted me to be like his companion or something. He was really nice to me and had me sit at the kitchen table while he made dinner and talked to me. I was scared in my dream, but when I woke up I was like, "Wow... There are a lot of girls who would pay for that." hahaha ... Yes, I'm weird! And proud of it ;)**

**BTW, who else hates the name I chose for Jack? Jack sounded so much better than Ferrell haha**


	32. Rope

It was now pouring as Gibbs drove down along the wrong side of the road. They were almost past the wreck which was blocking the other lanes, but they weren't there yet.

Tony was trying to keep down his lunch and the soda he had drank earlier, and Ziva was trying to help Gibbs look for oncoming cars through the rain.

"Boss, why don't you just drive on the median?" Tony suggested.

"Too bumpy!" Gibbs replied, "It would slow us down even more in this rain."

"But, you really don't think we can help McGee if we're dead, do you?"

"Who said we're gonna die, DiNozzo?" Gibbs swerved quickly just as he finished the sentence, coming only seconds away from hitting a Suburban.

Tony closed his eyes, "Oh God."

"Gibbs, car!" Ziva warned and Gibbs swerved again.

* * *

"Don't lie to the poor girl, Timothy," Ferrell said, a smile on his face. He pushed Tim over to the far corner of the room, then walked over to Abby, "John here is going to rape you," He said bluntly, "Then he's going to kill you. Timothy is going to watch as it happens."

For the first time, Tim noticed his gun sticking out of the back of Ferrell's pants. Seeing it made him not pay attention as Abby yelled something to Ferrell that earned her a slap across the face.

_'Focus, Tim, focus,'_He told himself.

"John, get ready. It's time."

John nodded and began to take off his shirt.

Tim quickened his pace of working to get out of the ropes that tied his hands. Each time he was pushed, shoved, or kicked by John or Ferrell, the ropes loosened some. It caused majorly painful rope burns on his wrists, but it kept making it easier to get out of the rope.

Tim kept his eyes on Ferrell, making sure he wouldn't turn around and catch Tim in some way. But, Tim's attention went to Abby when he heard her start crying again.

John had taken off his shirt and was now working to take off Abby's.

"No, no, no," She said softly as she cried.

Tim's heart pounded, "Abby. Abby," He repeated, trying to gain her attention, "Abbs, look at me."

Her eyes moved in his direction. She stared straight at him.

He nodded, "Good. That's good. Just keep looking at me, okay?"

She took deep breaths, trying to calm herself down, and nodded back at him, "Okay."

Ferrell wasn't going to turn to look back at Tim. Right now his focus was on Abby and what was about happen to her.

Tim could feel the blood running down his hands as he pulled and tugged at the ropes. He stared into Abby's eyes the whole time, and she did the same with him.

Suddenly he felt the ropes beginning to fall to the floor. He hurried and grabbed onto them so they wouldn't make a noise.

He reached one arm in front of him and put a finger over his mouth, letting Abby know that she needed to stay as quiet as possible.

She didn't answer him, but just by looking at her, he knew she wouldn't make a sound.

Tim slowly began walking up behind Ferrell. At any other moment he'd be curled up on the floor, in horrible pain, but not right now.

John had finished unbuttoning Abby's shirt and opening it, and now he was working on taking the rest of his clothes off. He was moving slowly, per Ferrell's orders.

"Aren't you going to scream, Abigail?" Ferrell asked, the smile still wide on his face.

Abby didn't move her eyes from the corner that Tim was formerly at, "Why should I?" She asked angrily.

Ferrell laughed, "Don't worry. Soon you will know, _and feel_, why."

Tim was now only two steps behind Ferrell. He had the rope in his hands, ready to use at the perfect time… He thought about going for the gun, but there was too much risk in that.

All in one second, Ferrell started to turn around and Tim thought, _'This is it. I have to do this now.'_

Before Ferrell could get all the way around, Tim wrapped the rope tightly around his neck. Ferrell immediately started to fight Tim off, but he couldn't.

Tim had somehow built up all the strength he had left in him and used it in that one moment.

John began to run over to them when Tim pulled the gun out of the back of Ferrell's pants, pointing it right at him.

John froze and Tim cocked the gun, then pulled the trigger… however, he was moved around from Ferrell's flailing and missed. But, it was enough to scare John into running out of the cabin as fast as he could.

As Tim continued to choke Ferrell, he moved back until he was up against the wall. He could feel Ferrell becoming weaker and weaker, fighting less and less.

He could distantly hear Abby screaming something at him, but he couldn't seem to make himself listen to her. He just kept wrapping the rope tighter and tighter.

"Tim! Tim! Tim, he's dead!" Abby yelled. There was no doubt in her mind that Jack was dead. He was just laying lifeless in Tim's arms. "Timmy! Timmy, please listen to me!"

Tim's head popped up, "What?" He asked, now staring at Abby.

"Tim, he's dead."

Tim looked down at Ferrell, the rope curled around his neck. Tim didn't realize, until that moment, that tears were falling down his face.

He let go of the rope, letting Ferrell drop to the ground.

Suddenly Tim realized that Abby was still tied to the bed. He rushed to her as quickly as possible and began undoing the ropes.

Once her hands were undone, she sat up and started re-buttoning her shirt while Tim untied her legs.

"Tim, are you okay?" she asked, deeply concerned. He looked horrible.

He nodded, "I'm fine." He finished untying her and she got up off of the bed.

Tim immediately ran to her side and embraced her in the biggest hug he'd ever given, and she gladly returned it.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry," He repeated as he held her and kissed her cheek.

"It's not your fault, Timmy. It's not your fault."

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine. I'm okay, Tim."

All of a sudden, the pain that Tim _should have been _feeling before, he started feeling _now_. His hug turned into a fall and Abby had to rearrange her arms quickly to hold him up, "But, you're not okay, Tim."

He shook his head and tried to regain his balance, "No, I'm… I'm fine. Just… just a little tired."

"You need to sit down. How bad did they beat you?" She asked, feeling angry just saying the words.

"It's.. It's not that bad. We need to go."

"Don't lie to me, Tim! How bad?"

Tim, with the help of Abby, sat on the bed… very slowly, "They broke… some ribs. Probably have a concussion. My knee... hurts a little. Some bruises… It's not bad."

"Not bad? Are you kidding me? Your face is_ crazy_ swollen, Timmy! I'm surprised you can keep your eyes open. Your wrists are bleeding," She walked up to him and gently lifted his shirt, "Oh my God, Tim! You're just one giant bruise from your stomach to your back!"

Tim held onto Abby's arm, "Help me up," He said.

"What are you doing?"

"We can't… stay here. Have to… get to… my car."

"We can't go anywhere. You can't walk. You can barely stand!"

"He's still out there Abby!" Tim exclaimed, "John's out there. If he comes back, he'll kill us," Tim pulled up, using Abby's arms for balance. "Oh God!" He yelled in pain as he stood.

"Tim-"

"No, Abby. Let's go."

Abby sighed. There was no point in arguing. She put one of Tim's arms around her back and they began to leave.

Tim paused for a moment as they walked by Ferrell's body.

Abby could see the anger in Tim's eyes, "Timmy, he's dead, remember? Let's go."

Tim nodded and looked away from the man he hated more than anything, then they headed for the door.

When they reached the door, Abby opened it, "It's pouring!" She looked over at Tim, noticing him having to force his eyes to stay open, "Tim, we should just stay here. I'm sure Gibbs, Tony and Ziva will be here soon."

"No. No, we need to get out. We can get to the main road… It's… It's too hard to get… back here. The rain… will make it… worse."

Abby looked around. The rain had_ already_ made it worse. The ground was just one big mud puddle.

She glanced at Tim once more and took a deep breath… She had a bad feeling about this, "Okay, we better go now then. I don't think the rain will let up anytime soon."

* * *

"How much farther?" Gibbs asked. He had just returned to the _correct _side of the road, but his swerving around cars hadn't ended yet.

Ziva looked at the navigation system, "We are about ten to fifteen minutes away."

Gibbs pressed down harder on the gas, getting up to one hundred miles per hour. His gut was yelling at him. They needed to get there… quick.

* * *

**Okay, I hope this wasn't too confusing. It was a lot of moving around! It's okay if you tell me that it sucked.**

**And, on the one sentence where it says: _'There was no doubt in her mind that Jack was dead.'_ (Talking about Abby) I meant to put Jack there, cause Abby doesn't know his real name. Just thought I'd let you guys know.**

**Thanks for reading and reviewing :)**


	33. Tim

Tim and Abby stepped out into the pouring rain, Tim having to heavily lean on Abby for support.

"It's about… a mile… to the car," Tim said, already gasping for breath.

Abby nodded, "Okay."

They started down the muddy trail, almost falling with every step. It was hard enough trying to walk down the path by yourself, but having to hold onto another person as you walked down it was almost impossible.

"We have… to go… faster," Tim warned, knowing he couldn't last much longer.

"We're going as fast as we can, Timmy." She looked over at him. He was becoming paler by the second, "We're gonna make it, Tim. You hear me?"

"I… I hear you."

Not even five seconds later, Tim tripped and fell flat on the ground, taking Abby down to her knees.

"Ah!" Tim screamed loudly, wrapping his arms around his stomach.

Abby went over to Tim and knelt beside him, "Come on, Tim. You gotta get up," She said, taking a hold of one of his arms.

He shook his head, "I can't. I can't," He repeated, feeling like he was about to die, "Just go."

"Are you kidding? I'm not leaving you here!"

"Yes! You… you have to!" Tim went into a coughing fit that lasted only about thirty seconds, but caused him a world of pain, "Go! Get… help."

"Tim, listen to me! I will not leave you here. There is absolutely no way I will leave you here, do you understand me?"

"Abby-"

"Do you understand?"

Tim sighed, then nodded, "Okay… Help… help me get up."

Abby took his hands in hers, "I'm gonna pull you up, okay? On three… One. Two. Three."

Abby pulled as hard as she could without doing more damage to him. He also used the tiny bit of strength he had remaining to pull himself up, so she wouldn't have to lift _all_ of his weight.

He screamed as he got up on his feet. He fell forward into Abby's arms and she wrapped her arms around him as though she were giving him a hug.

"You okay?" She asked.

"No," He replied.

"I mean, are you okay to walk now?"

He turned halfway, keeping one of his arms around Abby, "Yeah. Let's… go."

* * *

"We are almost there, Gibbs," Ziva said as they turned onto a back road.

Gibbs turned the windshield wipers up on the highest they could go, but it didn't seem to be helping much anymore.

He slowed down, not wanting to miss the turn.

"Right there!" Tony exclaimed, pointing to a dirt road, "That's where we turn. There's supposed to be a little parking lot halfway up the trail, then we have to walk the rest of the way."

Gibbs turned onto the dirt road, which was now a _mud_ road. He cursed.

"What is it, Boss?"

"The car's not gonna make it. We're gonna have to get out here and walk there."

None of them wasted any time getting out of the car. This was not the time to complain about the rain. They all just made sure they had their guns, and hurried out.

* * *

"How much… longer?" Tim asked, wheezing as he spoke.

"I don't know, Tim," Abby spit, trying to get all the rain that kept going into her mouth, out, "We just gotta keep going."

"It… hurts," He replied. There was no need to keep that to himself. He could no longer hide the fact that he was in horrible pain.

"I know it does."

Tim had one arm wrapped around his stomach, trying to ease the pain in his rib cage, but it wasn't working anymore. He began to cough and was unable to make himself stop. He was also shivering from the cold rain beating down on him.

Tears were falling down Abby's eyes, mixing with the raindrops. She couldn't help but wonder that even if they_ did_ make it to Tim's car, what would happen to him then? He looked like he should _already_ be dead, and Abby had no idea where they were. How could she get him to help in time?

She looked over at Tim, whose eyes were now closed. "Tim!" She exclaimed over the rain, "Tim, what are you doing?"

"Can't… keep them… open. Trust you."

Abby took a deep breath. She was now having to _lead_ Tim around, as if things weren't bad enough already.

* * *

"We're almost there, Tim!" Abby exclaimed, seeing the small parking lot just ahead. They had been walking for another fifteen minutes. Abby had tripped once, sending both her and Tim down to the ground again, then she had to pull him back up. He was only barely able to move his legs in a walking motion.

They got to the small clearing where cars could park, and Abby froze, "I… I thought your car was here."

Tim opened his eyes as much as he could with the bruises that covered them, "It… it was."

"It's not here, Tim!" She panicked.

"He… He took it. John… had to have… taken it."

Abby ran her fingers through her soaking wet hair. She didn't know what to do. There was no way Tim could make it all the way to the road, or all the way back to the cabins. Even if he did make it to the cabins, he'd probably die before help arrived.

A groan pulled her out of her thoughts.

Tim's arm fell from around her shoulder, "Abby, I'm… not gonna… make-" He passed out and she had to quickly lower him to the ground before she dropped him completely.

"Tim! Tim, wake up! Timmy, don't do this!" Abby begged as she cried.

* * *

Gibbs was leading the way as he, Tony and Ziva headed up the road. Suddenly, Ziva stopped.

Tony looked back at her, "What is it?"

"I heard something!" She yelled out over the rain.

"What?"

"Sh!"

She listened the best that she could, drowning out the sound of the rain. Faintly in the distance she heard, _"Tim, please!"_

"It's Abby!" She yelled then began running towards the sound. Gibbs and Tony began running as well.

They ran until they reached he clearing. It took a moment for them to see Abby and Tim through the rain… but there they were. Tim lying on the ground, and Abby kneeling beside him.

Gibbs ran over to them first. He laid a hand on Abby's shoulder, which made her jump.

She looked up at whoever was over her, "Gibbs!" She exclaimed, jumping up to give him a quick hug. Tony and Ziva came over, and Abby turned back to Tim, "Tim's car was supposed to be here! He passed out! I didn't know what to do!"

Gibbs got down on the ground beside Tim. He put one arm under Tim's neck, and the other under his knees.

"Be careful, Gibbs!" Abby warned, "He was hurt really bad!"

Gibbs nodded and slowly picked Tim up, "Ziva!"

"Yes, Gibbs?"

"Go back to the car. Call for an ambulance, and warm the car up!"

"Right away, Gibbs!"

"Tony, go ahead of me. Help Abby to the car!"

Tony nodded, then took Abby's hand, "Okay, Boss!"

Abby looked reluctant to leave Tim behind with Gibbs.

"He'll be okay, Abbs," Tony said to her, "We need to go, okay?"

She took a deep breath, "Okay."

Gibbs stared down at his youngest agent as he carried Tim to the car. The rain was beating down on them, but Gibbs could still see the bruises on Tim's face. He could also see how terribly pale Tim was. "You don't have permission to die, McGee!" Gibbs yelled to him, even though Tim couldn't hear it.

* * *

Abby was in the back seat when Gibbs arrived to the car with Tim. Tony opened the back door and Gibbs put Tim inside, laying his head on Abby's lap.

Tony got up front in the passenger seat, with Ziva in the drivers seat, and Gibbs got on the floor in-between the drivers seat and Tim.

"Drive, Ziva! Meet up with the paramedics."

"Yes, Gibbs," Ziva replied, stepping on the gas.

"We have to get him out of these clothes," Gibbs said. He began unbuttoning Tim's pants while Abby worked on taking off his shirt.

Tony kept looking back to see how things were going.

"DiNozzo."

"Yeah, Boss?"

Gibbs worked on pulling Tim's pants off, leaving him only in his boxers and shirt, "Not a word to McGee when he wakes up, you understand?"

"Understood, Boss."

Right now, Tony couldn't even think of making up jokes about Tim being stripped by Gibbs and Abby, all he could see was the look of death on Tim's face.

As Abby pulled off Tim's shirt, Tony, and even Gibbs, gasped. The bruises had gotten worse from when Abby had seen them earlier.

Gibbs gently touched the spot where the bruising was worst, "He's got at least three broken ribs. Drive faster, Ziva!"

Ziva didn't need to be told twice. She went down the road as fast as she could go without losing control of the car.

"Is he gonna be okay, Gibbs?" Abby asked, not able to stop herself from crying.

How could Gibbs answer that? He couldn't say yes, because he honestly didn't know.

"Are you okay?" Gibbs asked instead of answering the question.

"I'm fine," She replied, shivering.

"I see the ambulance!" Ziva exclaimed, turning the car sideways so the ambulance would have to stop.

She and Tony quickly got out of the car and ran up to the paramedics, telling them that they were the ones who called.

* * *

Gibbs, Tony, Ziva, Ducky, and Jimmy were all at the hospital, waiting on information for both Tim and Abby.

Gibbs had made Abby go with Tim in the ambulance so she could get checked out as well.

Gibbs was sitting down, his elbow on the arm rest, and his head leaning on his hands.

Tony was across the room, staring down at the floor. Ziva was sitting beside him, looking straight ahead.

Ducky had gone to get everyone coffee, although no one had asked for it. He just knew that they'd all be in need of it. Jimmy had gone along with him to help him carry the cups.

They had been waiting on news for hours. So far, they hadn't heard anything on either of them.

They all looked up as the hospital door opened, revealing the doctor, who looked drained.

The team jumped up and hurried over to him, waiting to hear on how their friends…. no, _family_, was doing.

Before he even started speaking, their faces fell. The expression on the doctor's face told them that the news, whatever it may be, _wasn't_ good.

* * *

**I started writing this last night, and figured I'd finish it sometime by noon today, but Mother's Day was busier than I expected. I had a great day with my mama (even though it's not over. We're about to watch the CSI:Miami finale)... We had pizza for dinner, and apparently it didn't sit well with me. It feels like after you've eaten fish that tastes super fishy, then it's like it's swimming in your stomach... That would be normal, if we had had fish. So, we decided we're not going back to that pizza place again. If I was younger, I probably would have thrown up by now.**

**Anyway, now that I've told you things that none of you care about, I hope you enjoyed the chapter (minus the whole food poisoning a/n). Let me know what you think :)**


	34. The Hospital

"Who is Leroy Jethro Gibbs?" The doctor asked as he looked down at the paper in his hand.

"That's me," Gibbs replied.

"You are listed as both Ms. Sciuto and Agent McGee's next of kin."

"I know. What's the news, Doc?"

"Ms. Sciuto is fine. I want to keep her overnight, just as a precaution, but she should be able to go home tomorrow."

They all breathed a small sigh of relief, but they were still concerned about the news for Tim.

"And McGee?" Gibbs asked.

"Agent McGee is a different story, I'm afraid. His minor injuries are a concussion, which he received by being hit on the back of the head. He has bruises covering his back, most likely from being kicked. He was punched repeatedly in the face, causing massive bruising. He's lucky his jaw didn't break. He had some cuts on his face, also from the punches. We cleaned those u and put stitches in. He has some pretty bad rope burns on his wrists, which were bleeding. I bandaged them up. We'll change the bandages every few hours and make sure his wrists don't become infected."

Tony sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He couldn't believe that this was what the doctor considered Tim's _"minor"_ injuries… What the heck were the "major" ones then?

"Now, for the bigger injuries," The doctor continued, "His leg has a hairline fracture. It didn't require surgery, just a cast. That should heal within a month. He had four broken ribs. They weren't taken care of fast enough, so they ended up causing some internal bleeding… that _did_ require surgery."

"How is he?" Ziva asked, on the edge of tears.

"He came through surgery…"

"But?"

"Right now he's asleep. I gave him a sedative through his IV, so he should stay that way for a while."

The team felt overwhelmed with emotions. How was this possible? How could someone hurt Tim so bad? He was the kindhearted, gentle one.

"I'm also worried about pneumonia. He was very ill while he was in the rain. That could cause him to become sick."

"And if that happens?" Gibbs asked.

The doctor paused before answering, "It wouldn't be good."

"Don't candy coat things, Doc."

"Agent McGee would most likely die if that happened… But, if he can go for the next forty-eight hours without any symptoms, then he should be in the clear."

Tony walked away. He just couldn't handle any more bad news.

Ziva stared down at the ground, forcing the tears to stay in her eyes.

"Can we see them?" Gibbs asked, trying to keep his composure.

The doctor nodded, "He and Abby are in the same room... She wouldn't let it be any other way. There is a sink to the left when you walk in the room. Make sure you use it. Don't touch Agent McGee until you have washed your hands with soap and water. I don't want any germs getting on him. The cleaner we keep him, the better."

"Understood," Gibbs replied.

"Alright. Two at a time. Follow me."

Gibbs looked back. He was about to tell Tony and Ziva to choose which one went and which one stayed, but Tony did it before he could get in a word.

"You and Ziva go. I'll stay back and tell Ducky and Palmer what we know when they get back with the drinks."

Gibbs nodded, then he and Ziva walked off.

* * *

They entered the room to see Abby standing beside Tim.

Gibbs washed his hands, as did Ziva, then they walked over to them.

Gibbs put a hand on Abby's back and she turned towards him, tears falling down her face, "He looks so… He just…" She couldn't find the right words.

"It's okay, Abbs, it's okay," He repeated. She laid her head on his shoulder and he rubbed her back, helping her to calm down.

Ziva walked over to the other side of Tim's bed. She took his hand in hers and leaned in close to him, whispering something in Hebrew.

"How are you, Abby?" Gibbs asked.

"I'm fine, Gibbs. I just want Tim to be okay."

Gibbs sighed, "We all do."

They all stood there silently, staring at Tim. His chest was bare, except for the bandage wrapped around his rib cage from surgery. His face looked worse than what it did when they were in the car, as did the visible bruises on his chest. There was a sheet and blanket covering up to Tim's hips, but you could still see the outline of the cast on his leg.

Gibbs just couldn't believe the sight in front of him. He had never seen Tim, or any of his agents, in such bad shape before. He was outraged.

Ziva, too, was outraged. She wanted to find the man or men who did this and ring their necks.

"You know, he killed Jack," Abby said, breaking the silence and seemingly reading their thoughts.

"What?" Gibbs asked, wondering if he heard wrong.

"His body's in the cabin. Timmy somehow got the rope that was around his wrists off, and he… he um, he suffocated him."

"McGee did that? In this condition?" Ziva asked, pointing down at Tim.

Abby nodded, "I don't know how he did it. He had so much strength. Jack couldn't even begin to fight him off… John ran off though. Tim tried to shoot him, but he missed-"

"John? Who's John?" Gibbs interrupted.

"John is the guy that's working with Jack. He got away."

Gibbs looked at Ziva, "Ziva, once Tony, Ducky and Palmer have there turn in here, I want you all to go back to the cabin."

Ziva nodded once, "Yes, Gibbs."

* * *

Ducky and Jimmy took their turns next, and Tony waited to be last.

He walked into the room and washed his hands, then peered around to see the layout of things. Abby was now resting in her bed, but she was still staring over at Tim. And Tim… Tony couldn't find words to describe how he looked, even if his life depended on it.

Tony took a few more steps. The sound of his shoes on the floor made Abby turn her head, "Hey, Tony," She said, putting a smile on her red, puffy face. It was obvious she had been crying.

"Hey, Abbs. How are you?" Tony asked, how voice low.

"Good, thanks."

"How's McGee been?"

"Sleeping… You can come over to him."

Tony walked over to the bed.

When he saw Tim's injuries close up, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Abby got up and patted Tony's back, "You should talk to him," She said softly, then she went into the bathroom, knowing Tony would want privacy.

Tony looked back, just to make sure no one was there. He took a couple of deep breaths before speaking, "Hey, Probster. I uh, I…" He let out a short laugh, "I don't really know what to say. Just get better, kid. Okay?"

Tony sighed. He hated seeing Tim like this. It was like staring down at his little brother.

He gently patted Tim's shoulder, then left, letting Abby know he was leaving on his way out.

* * *

Tony, Ziva, Ducky and Jimmy all went to the crime scene, but Gibbs stayed behind. He sat down in a chair between Abby and Tim's beds, making sure both of them were always okay.

It was getting late and Abby had fallen asleep, but Gibbs couldn't seem to rest. He kept thinking about what it must have been like for Tim to have gone what he went through. Sure, Gibbs had had his share of beatings in life, but Tim never had... and Gibbs had hoped he _never_ would.

A small groan pulled him out of his thoughts. He looked at up at Tim just as he slowly opened his eyes.

* * *

**I was gonna make this longer, but I'm going to my grandparents house in like thirty minutes, and I still have to get ready. So, it was either: Stop it here and post OR don't post at all... I hope I made the right choice and the chapter didn't suck :)**

**I am so excited for Swan Song tonight! From what I've seen, it looks AMAZING!**


	35. Seemingly Never Ending Pain

**Spoiler for Swan Song in the A/N**

* * *

Gibbs stood up immediately and went to Tim's bedside.

Tim's eyes kept fluttering open, but they couldn't stay open long. He groaned again and his face scrunched up, it was obvious he was in pain.

"Tim," Gibbs said in a low voice, "Do you want me to call the nurse? She can give you some medicine."

Tim slowly shook his head. His eyes opened once more, but just barely. It was as far as they could open with the bruises and swelling.

"Can you talk? Do you need anything?"

Tim swallowed, "Thirsty," He answered, his voice raspy.

"They brought in some ice chips earlier in case you woke up," Gibbs replied. He picked the cup of ice chips up from the tray, "Open your mouth," He said, putting one of the chips in his hand.

Tim opened his mouth as wide as he could, which wasn't very wide, and Gibbs gave him the ice.

"Thank… you," Tim said as he sucked on the ice.

"How are you feeling, Tim?"

"Not… too bad."

"McGee. Don't lie to me."

Tim winced, "Okay… pretty bad."

Gibbs reached over and picked up a little remote. He showed it to Tim, "This will help the pain. You want me to push it?"

"Not… yet. What… happened?"

"What's the last thing you remember?"

Tim had to think hard, "Trying to… get to… car… My car… was missing."

"You passed out. We got you back to my car, then into the ambulance."

"Surgery?" Tim asked, his mind clearing some.

"Yeah. Your ribs were pretty bad. It caused some internal bleeding."

Tim took in a deep breath, which hurt terribly. He grunted in pain, but didn't acknowledge it, "Abby… How's Abby?"

"She's asleep in the bed next to you."

"Is she okay?"

"She's fine," Gibbs replied.

"Did I… need any more… surgery?"

"No, that was it. You should be good as new soon."

They were both silent for a moment, then Tim looked right into Gibbs' eyes, "What aren't… you telling… me?"

"What do you mean, McGee?"

"You told me… not to lie… to you. Don't… lie to… me. What's wrong?"

Gibbs sighed, "There's a chance you could get pneumonia… A small chance."

"If I do?"

"It could be serious."

"I'll… die?"

"No," Gibbs answered quickly, _too_ quickly, "It's a small chance, Tim. If you make it past the next forty-eight hours without getting sick, then you'll be fine."

Tim felt tears in his eyes. Not so much from hearing that he may get really sick, but just overwhelming emotions from the past day. He tried to hold the tears in, but one escaped and fell down his face. "He's dead," Tim whispered, not able to raise his voice above it.

"I know. You did a good job, Tim. You saved Abby… I should kick your butt for not telling me where you were really going… but you did good."

"Couldn't tell," Tim replied, "He said… he'd kill her… Couldn't take that… chance. Not after…" His voice trailed off. He wondered if it would ever get easier to think about his dad.

Gibbs put a hand on Tim's shoulder, "It's alright, McGee, I understand."

Tim nodded, "The other one.. he got-"

"I know. He got away. Tony and Ziva are working on that. We'll find him."

A wave of pain came over Tim, "Ah!" He exclaimed through gritted teeth.

Gibbs reached over and grabbed the remote to press down the button for morphine.

"No," Tim began, but Gibbs stopped him.

"McGee, you need to sleep. You can't do that if you're in pain." Gibbs pressed the button.

It took less than a minute for the pain to fade and Tim to fall back asleep.

* * *

It was almost four in the morning when Tony and Ziva got back to NCIS.

They quietly walked to their desks and sat down, neither of them ever making a sound.

They couldn't believe the sight at the cabin. After seeing how badly Tim was beaten, yet he somehow managed to dig a rope that deep into a man's throat was… it was almost unbelievable.

Tony and Ziva were both very tired, yet neither could think about going to sleep. There was another man out there. "Jack's" apprentice… They had to find him… for Tim.

"He's a lot stronger than I ever gave him credit for," Tony said, finally breaking the silence.

Ziva cleared her throat, "I agree… I did not think he had that in him."

Tony shook his head, "I can't believe the guy that mentally tortured McGee for six months, and physically tortured him for a day, is layin' in autopsy right now. It almost doesn't seem real."

"Well, I am glad that it is real."

"Me too." Tony rubbed his eyes, "It better not take another six months to find this John guy."

"It won't," Ziva replied quickly, "We can not let that happen. We will find him... soon."

Tony stood up, "Then let's get to work."

Ziva stood up as well, "Let's."

* * *

Tim slept until nine o'clock the next morning, then he was quickly awakened by severe pain and the feeling of being touched.

He gasped as his eyes opened.

"It's okay, McGee," Gibbs said, "The nurses are just changing your bandages."

There was one nurse fixing the bandages around his wrists, and another fixing the one around his ribs.

"Hurts," He said, only able to take short, sharp breaths.

"It will be over soon, Agent McGee," One of the nurses responded, "I promise."

He nodded.

They were done just a couple of minutes later and they left him to rest.

That's when Abby got out of her bed and walked over to him, "Hi, Timmy," She said, forcing a smile on her sad face.

He looked over at her and smiled, "Abby… You're really… okay."

"I told ya she was, McGee," Gibbs replied.

"I know… Just good… to see."

"How are you feeling, Timmy?" Abby asked.

"Like I… was hit by… a truck."

"That bad?"

"Mhm."

"Ducky's gonna be comin' by later," Gibbs said, "He's bringin' Abby some clothes for when she's discharged."

"What about… the others?" Tim asked.

"They'll come by sometime too. They're workin' pretty hard right now, though."

Tim nodded. He was struggling to stay awake. Both Abby and Gibbs noticed this, "I'm gonna go lay back down, Timmy. Get some rest, okay."

"M'kay."

"I'm gonna take a trip to the cafeteria," Gibbs added, "I'll be back later."

* * *

For the next few hours Tim would sleep for a while, then wake up, fall back asleep, then wake up. Each time he woke, he felt a little worse. He could feel himself getting sicker and sicker, but he didn't want to even think about getting pneumonia. He'd try to fluff it off, press the button for more morphine, then go back to sleep.

It was six o'clock that evening when he woke up, coughing. He couldn't seem to stop. Gibbs rushed to his side, then, when he knew the coughing wasn't gonna stop, and he heard the wheezing, he pressed the call button for the doctor.

With every cough came horrible pain, making it even harder to breath.

"Boss," Tim choked out between coughs.

"What is it, McGee?"

"It's… bad."

Gibbs sighed. He knew what Tim was trying to say. He was sick… _very_ sick. "I know, Tim. I know."

* * *

**Wow! What did you guys think of Swan Song? I mean, I already guessed it would be him, but still... wow! It was so good.**

**Well, let me know what you think of the chapter :) Thanks!**


	36. Breathe

The second Tony, Ziva, Ducky and Jimmy heard the news about Tim, they came rushing back to the hospital.

Abby had never left. She wanted to stay, even after she was discharged.

Gibbs and Abby were waiting in the hallway when everyone else arrived.

"What's going on?" Tony asked Gibbs as they all walked towards him.

"McGee woke up about half an hour ago, coughing real bad. The doctor took his temperature and it's at a hundred and three degrees. They're in there trying to lower it. They took an X-ray and it showed that he's got a lot of fluid in his lungs."

Ducky looked passed Gibbs and saw Abby sitting down, tears running down her face. He immediately went over to her and sat down beside her.

"Oh, Abigail, it's going to be alright," He said, putting an arm around her.

"You don't… know that," She replied as she cried.

"No, I don't know for sure, but I have faith, Abigail. We _must_ have faith."

"He can't… die, Ducky. He just… can't."

Ducky pulled her in close and she cried onto his shoulder, "There, there, Abigail. Let it out."

Gibbs, Tony, Ziva and Jimmy all looked at Abby as she cried. Although they'd never let their true emotions show so easily, they were all feeling the same way.

"What are we supposed to do?" Ziva asked.

"Wait for the doctor to come out," Gibbs replied, "He'll let us know more."

* * *

So, they all waited. Abby and Ducky remained in their seats, Jimmy leaned against the wall, and Ziva, Tony and Gibbs paced up and down the hallway.

Finally the doctor came out. Everyone quickly gathered around him, waiting for the news.

"He's stable, right now," The doctor began, "It took a while to get him that way. His fever is still high-"

"What_ is_ his fever?" Ducky interrupted.

"Up to one hundred and four degrees."

"Oh dear."

"We're going to move him to another room. No one will be allowed in or out besides myself and two other nurses."

"We won't be able to see him?" Abby asked, hoping that wasn't the case.

"There's a window that you can watch him through. You can talk to him through a intercom, but I doubt he'll be talking much. He needs as much sleep as he can get."

"What are you thinkin', Doc?" Gibbs asked, knowing there was more.

"The coughing and the fluid in the lungs are my main concern. With his ribs being as bad as they are, and just getting out of surgery… We have to be very careful to make sure that internal bleeding doesn't happen again. If it does, I _can't_ do surgery on him while he's in this condition."

Tony could feel himself getting angrier and angrier. Not at the doctor, just at the situation. "So, if he starts bleeding internally, he's dead? And if you try to do surgery, he's dead?"

The doctor nodded, "Yes, that would be the case. The last thing he needs to do is upset his ribs by coughing so much, but that's also the only thing he _can_ do. If he doesn't cough and get up some of that phlegm, then that can be just as dangerous."

"So, basically it's fifty fifty," Jimmy said.

The doctor looked around at all of them, "Honestly, more like eighty twenty."

Ziva crossed her arms, "What is the eighty?"

The doctor knew they all already knew the answer to that. He put an arm on Ziva's shoulder, "We will do all we can to make sure he lives. I promise you all that."

Gibbs nodded, "We know. Thank you."

"Do you have anymore questions before I go?"

They all either shook their heads or replied with quiet _no's_, then the doctor left.

* * *

For the next two days they all took shifts, sitting in the room next to Tim, watching him through the glass.

Gibbs had gone to see Carol and Sarah, and he told them the news. They wanted to be there for Tim, but Gibbs couldn't allow it. That would be putting them into too much danger, plus there wasn't anything they could do for Tim anyways.

Over those two days, Tim almost stopped breathing multiple times. The only thing that truly kept him going was the sound of the team's voices. They would talk to him and help to calm him down when his coughing fits became too much to handle.

He was getting skinnier and skinnier, as if he weren't already skinny enough. The bruises on his face were healing some, but the rest of him looked even worse than before.

"So, I told this girl, "Hey, if you didn't want me, then why didn't you just say so?" and you wanna know what she replied?"

"No," Tim coughed out. He'd been listening to Tony tell the same story for the past two hours. It didn't seem like it was never going to end.

"Well, too bad, I'm telling you anyway. She said-" Tony stopped as Tim began coughing uncontrollably. The coughing soon turned into wheezing, then to choking. This was going from bad, to worse, to terrible… _quick!_

Two nurses rushed into the room and began working on him.

Tim was now gasping for breath. His face was quickly turning paler and paler.

Tony rushed out of the room and met up with the doctor, "You gotta let me in there!"

"I'm sorry, I can't. I have to go."

Tony grabbed the doctor's arm, "I can't make him any worse than he already is. Let me in there! I just need to talk to him."

The doctor sighed, "Fine. Scrub your hands first," He said as he went into the room.

Tony quickly washed his hands, then made his way to Tim.

Tim's eyes were wide. It seemed he could breathe out, but not in.

Tony grabbed onto a nurses arm and pulled her back, "Move."

He got up close by Tim and took a hold of his shoulders, "Look at me, McGee!" Tony exclaimed, trying to get Tim's attention.

Tim's eyes moved to Tony.

"I know I'm not Gibbs, but you're gonna have to deal with me, okay? You are _not_ going to die. Do you understand me?"

Tim, still not able to get in any air, didn't make any attempt to reply.

"You gotta breathe, McGee!"

"Let me do my job, Agent DiNozzo," The doctor said, trying to get to Tim.

"Shut up!" Tony yelled, then turned his focus back to Tim. "Listen to me! You've got your mom, Sarah, Gibbs, Ziva, Ducky, Palmer, me and Abby all waiting for you to get better…" Nothing was working, so Tony used his last resort, "If you die, we may never catch John!"

Tim's eyes widened even more. Somehow he managed to take in a breath. It was weak, but still it was a breath. Then came another, and another.

Tony moved back so the nurses and doctor could what they needed. Now, Tony knew, Tim had something to hold onto. It may be something that made him angry, knowing John was still free, but it was something to keep Tim alive.

Tony couldn't believe how, in almost an instant, he almost lost his little brother. How quickly it went from Tim just being weak, to Tim almost being dead.

At touch on his arm drew him out of his thoughts. It was a nurse.

"He's very tired, but he keeps saying he wants to talk to you."

Tony nodded, "Okay."

The nurse left out of the room, and Tony realized that he didn't even notice when the doctor and other nurse left.

Tony walked over to Tim's bedside, "Hey, Probie. It's not nice to scare me like that."

"S-sorry," Tim replied weakly, "I just… wanted to… say… thank you."

"For what?"

"Hurting… so bad… didn't care… if I… died. Have… to live… now. Have… to find… John."

Tony patted Tim's shoulder, "Go to sleep, kid. You'll get better faster that way."

Tim's eyes were already closed by the time Tony finished the sentence.

Tony walked out of the room and rubbed his eyes. He knew now that Tim would be okay… but he still couldn't help but worry about what lied ahead.

* * *

**I've got to get these people out of the hospital! lol I hope the chapter didn't seem rushed, cause that's not what I wanted at all. I just didn't want to linger on Tim coughing his guts up for like five chapters. **

**Let me know what you think :) Thanks for reviewing! **

**Oh, I also have a twitter now. If you guys have one, you can follow me (if you want). It's under TwisterRPower (Cause TwistedRocketPower was too long :( ) It'll mainly be about my fanfiction, but I'm a really random person so who knows what I might post on occasion.**


	37. It's Really Over

The next two weeks were long, but pleasantly uneventful. It was something that was very much welcomed after the past six months.

Tim spent those two weeks recovering. He wasn't fully healed. His ribs were still wrapped, his leg still had a cast, and his wrists were still bandaged. But, he not longer had any stitches on his face and his bruises were healing up quite nicely, although they were still visible.

"Abby, I'm fine," Tim said as she helped him to his bed. He had just been released from the hospital and she and Gibbs had brought him home.

"You're not fine, Tim."

"I have crutches to help me walk, my ribs don't hurt too bad, and my wrists feel fine. I can make it to my bed."

"I don't care if you can make it or not, I'm helping you there."

He knew there was no point to argue, he never won arguments between him and Abby anyway.

His face scrunched up in pain as he sat back on his bed. He didn't want to admit it, not after what he just said, but Abby holding onto his arms did help, a lot.

"Now, just lay back and I'll get you whatever you want."

"I don't have anything to eat or drink here besides water, Abbs," He reminded her, "And energy drinks."

"Not anymore," Gibbs said as he entered the room carrying a glass of Gatorade.

Tim's eyebrows furrowed, "Where'd that come from."

Abby smiled, "Gibbs bought you groceries!" She said happily.

Tim's eyes widened as he looked at Gibbs, "You? You bought me stuff?"

"Mhm."

"He did really good too," Abby added, "He got almost everything that you really like. I didn't know he knew you so well. I didn't even have to tell him about your love for dinosaur cereals!"

Tim's face reddened, "It's a childhood thing."

Again, Gibbs replied with an, "Mhm."

* * *

The next day, Tim walked out of the elevator and into the bullpen, Abby following closely behind. She had spent the night with him, and then spent the next morning trying to convince him not to go to work… Apparently there _was_ an argument she couldn't win with him.

"I tried to stop him, Gibbs!" She exclaimed before he even saw Tim.

Gibbs looked up. When he saw Tim standing there he got out of his seat, "McGee, what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to work."

"You just got out of the hospital."

"Yeah, and now I'm ready to work."

Tony walked around his desk, "McGee, you're not even completely healed yet. You still look pretty bad."

"The work can't wait, Tony," Tim replied, "We have to find John. I can help. Both Abby and I can. We both spent time with him. If we tell you guys what he said and did then we can build a profile of him… figure out where he might have gone-"

Gibbs sighed, "McGee-"

"He... He had a thick country accent. He didn't care to punch and kick me, but I saw hesitation when he was with Abby. He didn't want to rape her. I think that was all Ferrell."

"Ferrell?" Ziva questioned.

Tim nodded, "Jack's real name. You guys didn't know that yet?.. I thought I mentioned it. Ferrell Landry. Anyway, John wasn't smart like Ferrell was a-"

"Tim!" Gibbs exclaimed, trying to get him to stop.

"What?"

"We got a call yesterday morning. A man had been found in a hotel, about fifty miles from the cabins you and Abby were at. He had overdosed on pills. He wrote a suicide note… We think it's John."

Tim stared at Gibbs, "What did the note say?"

They had received a photo copy of the note, which Tony had printed out so they could read.

"It doesn't matter."

"What does it say!" Tim exclaimed, needing to see the note.

Gibbs took a deep breath, "Give it to him, DiNozzo."

Tony nodded, walked to his desk and picked up the paper, then handed it to Tim.

Tim read it to himself, knowing everyone else probably already knew what it said.

'Whoever gets this. I can't do it anymor. Ferrell was the only good thing in my life. He was my best friend. He tought me to read and write, but I still miss up sumtimes. We were diffrent on some things. I don't like to hurt women, but if he told me to I knew I had to do it. When we took Sarah, I didn't tuch her. I promise. I killed Tim's father. Ferrell didn't shoot him. I did. Ferrell just told me to. Tim's father tried to fight. He tried to pertect his family, but he was gonna hurt Ferrell, so I killed him. The blood poured out of his head and he kept makin funny sounds, then we left. Ferrell and me both killed the cops pertecting the house. Ferrell wants to be famous. Thats all he wanted. Please make him famous. Thank you. Goodbye.'

"Is he okay?"

"Maybe he should go to the hospital."

"I believe he is in shock, Anthony."

"McGee, give me the letter. Let go of it. Come on, McGee."

"He is not letting go. He should not have read it."

"He would have found a way to get to it eventually, Ziva. If he didn't read it here, he would have read it by himself somewhere."

"Timothy. Timothy, can you hear me, lad?"

Tim blinked a few times, coming out of his trance. He looked up. Ducky, Tony, Gibbs, Ziva and Abby were all standing over him. Sometime, he guessed while he was reading the letter, someone had pulled a chair into the middle of the bullpen for him to sit down.

"What?"

"We were worried about you," Ducky said, a small smile appearing on his face, "Good to have you back with us."

"What happened?"

"You almost passed out," Tony answered, "Had to get you sittin' down really quick."

Gibbs held out his hand, "Give me the letter, Tim."

Tim looked down and noticed the letter in his hand. He had forgotten it was there. His knuckles were white he was holding it so tight.

He slowly released the grip he had on it and handed it to Gibbs, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry."

It was silent for a moment. No one knowing what to say.

"I want to see him," Tim said, breaking the silence.

"Who?" Ducky asked.

"John. I want to see his body. Someone has to make sure it's him, right? I can do that."

"Tim, that's not a good idea," Tony said.

"Please, I need to see him."

"Let's go," Gibbs replied, "He's down in autopsy."

Neither Tim or Abby expected that. Abby had heard about them finding John, and about the letter, but she didn't know where the body was.

"Gibbs, are you sure about this?" Ziva asked.

"He won't get closure until he sees _for himself_ that this is over," Gibbs whispered back to her.

"He's down in _our_ autopsy?" Tim questioned.

Gibbs nodded, "Yup," He replied, then turned and headed for the elevator.

* * *

They all went down to autopsy together. Tim told them that they didn't all need to go along, but they all refused to stay behind. They were a team. This would no doubt be hard on Tim, and they weren't going to leave him.

On the last table laid a fully covered body. Ducky went over to it first, the rest of the team following behind.

"Are you sure about this, Timothy? Abigail can confirm it for us if you-"

"I want to do this, Ducky," Tim replied calmly.

Ducky nodded and pulled back the sheet.

Tim let in a deep breath. He leaned heavily onto his crutches. It's almost as though he could feel the beating happening all over again.

Suddenly he felt an hand on his arm, then another on this other arm. He looked both ways. Tony was standing on one side of him, and Abby on the other. The rest of the team also very close by.

Tim looked back at the body, "That's him."

Ducky nodded and covered John back up.

Tim looked at Ducky, "Where's Ferrell?" He asked.

"His body?"

"Yes."

Ducky glanced at Gibbs, who gave him a slight nod, "He's in drawer twelve."

Tim began walking over to the drawer.

Tony and Ziva both gave Gibbs a "Isn't this a horrible idea?" look, but he just shook his head. He knew this is what Tim needed to do.

Tim unlocked the drawer and slowly pulled it open.

He only opened it halfway. Enough to see Ferrell's face and torso.

Tim stared at Ferrell's neck. He knew he had made those marks, but it all seemed a big blur.

It was over. It was truly over. The past six months of complete hell had come to an end.

Tim had held in is emotions with seeing John, but now seeing Ferrell, the main one to cause all the pain, he couldn't hold it in any longer.

Tears started falling down his face as he began to cry.

Abby went over to him and once again touched his arm to let him know she was there. He turned to her and wrapped his arms around her, "It's over, Abby," He whispered through short breaths.

"Let it out, Timmy," She whispered back, knowing he needed that release.

"I can't… believe… it's over."

* * *

Tim sat down on a bench outside of NCIS. It had been a few hours since his breakdown in front of everyone. He expected Tony to make a little joke afterwards, but none was ever made… Gibbs probably would have killed anyone who even _thought_ of making a joke about it.

He hadn't really worked all day. He mainly sat at his desk doing random, and probably unnecessary, paperwork.

Now, he needed a break. Just some time to think.

He sat by himself for about five minutes before someone sat down beside him.

He looked over to see who it was, "Hey, Boss."

"McGee."

"Did you need me back inside?"

Gibbs shook his head, "No. Just takin' a break myself."

"Oh."

They sat in silence for over a minute, then Tim spoke up, "He was in a car accident… That's how my dad lost his leg."

Gibbs had forgotten he had asked about that so long ago. "Drunk driver?"

"Yeah… my dad."

Tim and Gibbs looked over at each other at the same time. Tim could tell Gibbs didn't understand, so he explained, "My dad had a lot of problems after coming back from war. Nightmares all the time. He'd go through spells of not speaking to any of us. He'd go off to himself, get drunk, and pass out somewhere. One day, while I was at MIT, I got a call from my mom. She was going crazy. Telling me that Dad had been in a wreck and he was drunk… somewhere in there she inserted the fact that he flew through the windshield, then the car rolled and landed on his leg, crushing it. It had to be amputated. The next year was really tough… But that crash saved my parents marriage, my relationship with my dad, and Sarah's too. The person in the other car was unharmed and didn't press charges. He figured that my dad had learned his lesson the hard way anyways… My dad always said that losing his leg was the best thing that happened to him. It brought him back to the real world."

"He seemed like a very good man, Tim."

"He was."

"Have you talked to Carol and Sarah lately?" Gibbs asked.

Tim nodded, "Yeah, I'm going to see them tonight… Then we leave in a couple of days to go to Oregon to… to have my dad's funeral."

"…And after that?" Gibbs asked. He never forgot Tim saying that once the case was over, he was leaving.

Tim shook his head, "I don't know. I've probably lost my job here, after all I did with hiding evidence and everything else, so-"

"Hey. You've _always_ got a job here, McGee. If you still want to work here, then you work here."

Tim gave Gibbs a little smile, "Thanks, Boss."

Gibbs nodded once.

"Did you see the news? I caught a little bit of it at lunch."

"No. Why?"

"They were talking about the case... You want to know what they called Ferrell?"

"What?"

"The 'Unknown Male'," Tim laughed, "All he wanted was to be famous... He'll never get that now."

Gibbs smiled... He didn't see the need to tell Tim that he was the one who threatened anyone who dared used that man's name.

They both stared out, watching the people pass by on the sidewalk, laughing, talking, arguing.

After a couple of minutes, Tim looked back over at Gibbs, "Boss?"

"Yeah, McGee?"

"Do you think… Do you think I'll ever be the same person I was, before all of this happened."

Gibbs took a deep breath. He reached over and laid a hand on Tim's shoulder, squeezing it lightly, "No… No, I don't."

Tim sighed and nodded, "Yeah… I don't either."

* * *

**THE END! Woot! Sorry about the lack of warning, but I didn't know it was the last chapter until I finished writing it haha**

**Thank you guys so much for reading and reviewing! It means the world to me! Also, thanks for sticking it out through 37 chapters :) You guys rock!**

**Me, being the sick, helpless person I am, have already started writing my next story. I'm posting Triangle already, but the other one I'm writing is far more angsty. Of course, it deals with Tim. What else is new, right? I already have the name picked out for it and hopefully I can start posting soon. It'll be called Accused, so keep a lookout for it if you aren't subscribed to me.**

**Thanks again! God bless!**


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